Does Add to My Drive Make a Copy?

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• User Case: What Is the Difference between 'make a copy' and 'add shortcut'?
• Does Add to My Drive Make a Copy?
• Pro Tip: How to Make a Copy from Google Drive to Another Cloud
• In the End

User Case: What Is the Difference between 'make a copy' and 'add shortcut'

Does Add to My Drive Make a Copy?

What does “Add to My Drive” do? When you open a shared Google file and select 'Add to My Drive,' which means that you add Shared with me to My Drive, you’re essentially linking it to your own Google Drive for easier access.

If the file is owned by your leaders or someone else, any updates they make will appear in real-time in the version stored in your Drive, as it remains a live document. So, if the owner deletes the file from their Drive, it will also be removed from yours.

When you use the 'Make a Copy' option for a Google file, you create a duplicate that is fully independent of the original. You can edit, share, and manage your copy without affecting the original document. Similarly, any updates made by the owner to the original file will not appear in your copy.

Then, does “Add to My Drive” make a copy? The answer is no. You just move the shared Google file on your own Drive, but the owner is still not you. Making a copy means that you are the owner. That’s the biggest difference.

Pro Tip: How to Make a Copy from Google Drive to Another Cloud

If you not only want to make a copy to My Drive, but also to another popular cloud, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, MEGA, etc.? Then the “Add to My Drive” option is not that helpful. In this situation, you can take advantage of MultCloud, a smart and professional cloud transfer service.

MultCloud brings all your cloud storage into one place for that added flexibility, such as Google Drive, Shared Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, as well as Amazon S3. It provides a useful platform to assist users in performing more effortless file transfers, synchronization, and backup.

Meanwhile, its intuitive interface and advanced features make managing and organizing your cloud storage effortless, whether for personal or professional use.

Now, let’s dive into detailed steps to transfer Shared with me to another cloud directly via MultCloud:

Step 1: Create a MultCloud Account

To get started, you should sign up for a free account first. You can use your Google, Facebook, or Apple ID to log in directly.

Step 2: Head to Add Cloud

After logging in successfully, head to Add Cloud on the left taskbar. Then tap the icon of Shared with me to add your credentials and give MultCloud access by following the on-screen tips.

Then, apply the same steps to add another cloud. Here, we take Box as an example:

Step 3: Proceed to Cloud Transfer

Select the shared file from Shared with me as the source directory, and select Box as the destination. Finally, hit the Transfer Now button.

To selective transfer, you can enable the Filter feature. This helps you quickly include files with certain extensions.

To create scheduled transfer, tap the Schedule button to select your preferred automatic options.

This is how to make your own copy of a file from Shared with me to another cloud directly without going through a manual download-and-upload process. Similarly, you can re-select the target cloud if you want, so you can make a copy of the shared file to other cloud services. Apart from that, MultCloud also makes it easy to back up and sync files between cloud drives.

In the End

Does “Add to My Drive” make a copy? After reading this tutorial, now you have the answer. In a nutshell, it doesn’t mean that you have a copy, but have an easier access to the shared file. Meanwhile, when you want to make a copy of the shared file, you can transfer it to a cloud drive like Google Drive, Box, etc. And in this case, MultCloud can help a lot.

Anyway, MultCloud offers a convenient place to connect multiple cloud services together, so you don’t need to frequently head to different cloud providers. Meanwhile, it launched a new feature that helps you download videos from Instagram directly. If you happen to need this, try this service to enjoy conveniences.