The fastest way to select everything in Google Drive

To select all files and folders in your Google Drive at once, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac). This selects every item visible on your current screen — files, folders, and shared items. A checkbox appears next to each item, and a blue banner at the top confirms how many items you have selected.

The selection only includes what is displayed in your current view. If you are looking at a folder, Ctrl+A selects only the contents of that folder, not items in other folders. If you are viewing search results, it selects only the files that match your search. Scrolling down after you select all will add newly visible items to your selection automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Ctrl+A (or Command+A on Mac) selects all visible items in your current Google Drive view when ready.
  • The selection applies only to what you can see on screen — files in a folder, search results, or your main Drive list.
  • Once selected, you can move, delete, or change sharing settings for all items at once using the toolbar buttons.
  • Clicking the checkbox next to any single item, then using Shift+Click on another item, selects everything between them.

Selecting items one at a time or in groups

If you do not want to select everything, you can pick specific files. Click the checkbox next to any file or folder to select just that item. To select a range of consecutive items, click the checkbox next to the first item, then hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last item you want. Google Drive selects that item and everything between it.

To select multiple items that are not next to each other, click the checkbox next to the first item, then hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click the checkboxes next to each additional item. This lets you pick and choose without selecting the entire list.

What you can do after selecting multiple items

Once you have selected files or folders — whether all of them or just some — a toolbar appears at the top of the screen with action buttons. You can move selected items to a different folder, delete them, read them as a .zip file, or change who can see them. The toolbar also shows a trash icon, a move icon (arrow pointing into a folder), and a share icon.

Right-clicking on any selected item opens a menu with additional options, including the ability to rename, make a copy, or add items to a folder. If you have selected multiple items, most actions explore to all of them at once. For example, if you select ten files and click the trash icon, all ten move to your trash folder.

Clearing your selection

To deselect everything, click anywhere in the empty space of your Google Drive window, or press Escape. You can also click the checkbox next to "Name" at the top of the file list — this toggle switches between selecting all visible items and clearing the selection.

If you want to deselect just one item from a group you have already selected, click its checkbox again. The other items stay selected.

Selecting items across different folders

Ctrl+A only selects items in your current location. If you want to select files from multiple different folders, you must move them to a common location first, or select them one folder at a time. You cannot select files from Folder A and Folder B simultaneously without opening each folder separately.

One workaround is to use Google Drive's search or filter features to find all items that match certain criteria — for example, all files modified in the last week, or all files with a certain name pattern. Once the search results appear, you can use Ctrl+A to select all matching items at once, regardless of which folders they are stored in.

Selection limits and performance

Google Drive allows you to select a very large number of items at once, but performing actions on thousands of files simultaneously can take time to process. Moving or deleting a large selection may take several minutes, and Google Drive will show a progress indicator. Do not close the tab or navigate away while the action is running.

If you are working with an extremely large Drive with tens of thousands of files, selecting all items may cause your browser to slow down. In that case, use search or folder navigation to narrow down what you are viewing before selecting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ctrl+A select files in subfolders too?

No. Ctrl+A selects only the items you can see in your current view. If you open a folder that contains subfolders, Ctrl+A selects the subfolders themselves, but not the files inside them. You must open each subfolder separately to select its contents.

Can I select all files shared with me?

Yes. Navigate to the "Shared with me" section in the left sidebar, then use Ctrl+A to select all files and folders that have been shared with you. You can then move them to your own folders or change their sharing settings.

What happens if I select all and then delete?

All selected items move to your trash folder. They are not permanently deleted when ready — you can recover them from trash within 30 days. After 30 days, Google Drive permanently deletes them and they cannot be recovered.

Can I undo a selection after I have moved or deleted items?

You cannot undo the selection itself, but you can undo the action. Press Ctrl+Z (or Command+Z on Mac) when ready after moving or deleting to reverse the action. This works for most operations, though very large batch actions may take time to undo.