Google's free cloud storage platform, Google Drive, is a great collaboration tool, but you have to know how to share files and folders to make it fulfill its potential.

To share a folder on Google Drive, create the folder, open it, and click the folder's title to access the "Share" option.

Shared directories are more useful than you might think, especially for students. Thankfully, linking them with your local drive is easy.

File-sharing 101: How to actually share files in Google Drive and OneDrive Share large files, photos and videos with co-workers and family members across the globe -- free. Here's how.