How to view your Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro

By

Want even faster access to your most-used Google Drive files? Let Launch Center Pro do the heavy lifting!
Want even faster access to your most-used Google Drive files? Let Launch Center Pro do the heavy lifting!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail Launch Center Pro has solved many workflow problems for me over the years. Most recently it’s been an immense time-saver when it comes to accessing Google Drive files I need often. While the Google Drive app itself is decent enough, it only acts as a hub to Google’s other apps, which is somewhat annoying.

That’s why I started using Launch Center Pro to speed up the process. Here’s how you can, too.

How to create a better Google Drive workflow with Launch Center Pro

How I do this is simple enough. I’ve just created a folder inside Launch Center Pro for all my Google Drive files that I access often. Inside of that, I’ve put direct links to the files I want to access.

Doing it this way allows Google to route me to the correct app the first time, instead of having to be routed through the Google Drive app (not to mention that I no longer have to remember where files are inside Google Drive).

All you need is a direct link to the file you want quicker access to, which you can find inside Google Drive by following these steps:

  1. Find the file you want easier access to and tap on the overflow menu.
  2. Tap on Get link.
  3. You should see a message on the bottom of the screen confirming a link has been copied to your clipboard.
First you'll need to copy the link to a file to your clipboard from within the Google Drive app. You only have to do this once for each file.
First you’ll need to copy the link to a file onto your clipboard from within the Google Drive app. You only have to do this once for each file.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

Once you have your direct link, you’re ready to create a simple action in Launch Center Pro by following these steps:

  1. Tap the Edit button in the top right corner of Launch Center Pro.
  2. Tap on the tile or drill down inside the folder where you want the new action to be located.
  3. Tap on Action Composer.
  4. Tap on All Supported Apps and then choose Google Drive, Sheets, or Docs. Since this is a Google Doc, that’s what I’m going to choose in this example.
  5. Tap on Open Google Doc or Sheet on the next screen.
  6. Here you can give your file a Name and paste the URL you just copied in the previous set of steps.
  7. Tap Done and then Done again.
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 1 of 3).
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 1 of 3).
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 2 of 3).
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 2 of 3).
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 3 of 3).
How to access Google Drive files faster with Launch Center Pro (Step 3 of 3).
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

Your new action is now ready to use. Just repeat this process for all the files inside Google Drive you want to access from Launch Center Pro. And if you have an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, you can add file access right to your Home screen via 3D Touch, which I sometimes do with frequently accessed documents.

  • Launch Center Pro – $4.99 – Download

This post was syndicated via The App Factor.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.