Google Drive

Every issue, all time, most people first

1. Searching for files means checking many separate locationsUnreviewed

   13 people since 2015, in 7 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Finding a file far down a long sorted list requires waiting through many slow page loads2025-05-16
   • Hard to find where files went, hour spent searching without success2023-11-27
   • Going to Drive and digging for recent files is a pain2023-03-13
   Something wrong here?

2. Shared documents don't show where users can find them without searchingUnreviewed

   8 people since 2013, in 5 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Users must remember to move docs into shared drives before sharing2024-07-29
   • Impossible to find anything when sharing docs with someone2023-06-17
   • Shared documents have different links depending on sharing method, and originals are hard to find2020-06-24
   Something wrong here?

3. Can't find files known to exist while navigating foldersUnreviewed

   7 people since 2013, in 6 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Search finds a file but it's hard to tell which folder it's in2023-03-06
   • Can't find files that are known to exist while navigating folders2022-04-14
   • Orphaned files stay invisible in browser but searchable, making old access hard to track2021-01-15
   Something wrong here?

4. Synced files are just URLs, unsearchable with no content downloadedUnreviewed

   6 people since 2012, in 4 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Synced files are just URLs, so they can't be searched and content isn't downloaded2023-11-27
   • App keeps trying to sync offline files even though Offline tab shows none2020-09-24
   • Users expect Drive to sync actual files, not Docs-only placeholders, which is unintuitive2013-10-25
   Something wrong here?

5. Moving large numbers of files is painfully slow and bottleneckedUnreviewed

   5 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Moving or transferring large numbers of files is painfully slow and bottlenecked2023-12-13
   • Working with local files and folders is slow and awkward2023-06-09
   • Large uploads and downloads become so slow they are unusable or infeasible2022-09-07
   Something wrong here?

6. Hard to organise files into folders, worse with shared filesUnreviewed

   5 people since 2016, in 3 different years · 1 this year

   20102026
   • Files shared from many people with different naming conventions feel disorganized and need manual sorting2026-04-24
   • Shared files pile up in an unmanageable list and permissions are hard to manage2022-04-14
   • Files in multiple folders have inherited sharing and permissions that are confusing to understand2022-04-12
   Something wrong here?

7. Downloading shared files is non-obvious for non-technical recipientsUnreviewed

   5 people since 2013, in 3 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Unwanted shared files arrive with no way to tell who sent them2020-07-27
   • Recipients must create an account to download a shared file via link2020-07-11
   • Downloading shared files is complicated and non-obvious for non-technical recipients2017-10-11
   Something wrong here?

8. Trash can only be emptied for visible files, not fullyUnreviewed

   4 people since 2013, in 4 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Trash can only be emptied for visible files, so emptying it completely is hard2023-12-13
   • Emptying trash frees space only slowly, with no visible progress, so storage stays full2020-05-03
   • Files stuck in trash; must select and delete them a screen at a time2019-06-12
   Something wrong here?

9. Storage usage on settings page doesn't match Storage pageUnreviewed

   4 people since 2019, in 2 different years · none this year

   20102026
   • Storage usage shown on settings page doesn't match what the Storage page reports2023-05-03
   • Can't see where storage is used across services, so totals don't add up2019-12-25
   • Can't find any storage report or sort by size to see what uses space2019-10-22
   Something wrong here?

10. Non-technical users can't understand why files appear or how to stop themUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Users can't tell whether files have actually uploaded2025-08-08
    • User can't find their files and doesn't understand what the UI is doing2022-06-15
    • Non-technical users can't understand why files appear or how to stop them2020-07-27
    Something wrong here?

11. Deleting local files deletes cloud copies; reconnecting forces full re-syncUnreviewed

    3 people since 2012, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Files constantly conflict or fail to sync from computer to cloud2023-04-04
    • Must re-download the entire cloud folder instead of reusing existing local files after reinstall2016-02-03
    • Deleting unwanted local files also deletes them from cloud; reconnecting forces full re-sync2012-04-24
    Something wrong here?

12. New web interface absurdly slow to interact withUnreviewed

    3 people since 2013, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Google's web apps are very slow to interact with on low-spec hardware2019-05-09
    • New web interface is absurdly slow to interact with2014-10-27
    • Interface is very slow and shows occasional server error messages2013-03-18
    Something wrong here?

13. Folders hidden, so reaching them each time takes hoopsUnreviewed

    3 people since 2012, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Folders are hidden, so users must go through hoops to reach them each time2025-02-22
    • Nested folders become a nightmare to navigate, especially with many departments sharing them2023-06-25
    • Confusing interface hides folders, making it hard to move between shared and local copies; folder tree got lost2012-11-06
    Something wrong here?

14. Can't middle-click or open folders in new tabUnreviewed

    3 people since 2020, in 3 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Navigating through folders and clicking is slow2022-06-15
    • Folders load slowly, and double-clicking plus broken URL copy and new-tab opening make it harder to use2021-06-03
    • Can't middle-click or open folders in new tab; folders load slowly on return2020-12-14
    Something wrong here?

15. Unsharing departed user's account strips folder hierarchy, orphaning filesUnreviewed

    3 people since 2016, in 2 different years · none this year

    20102026
    • Unsharing a departed user's account silently strips folder hierarchy, leaving files orphaned and requiring manual rebuild2020-12-14
    • Unsharing or fixing permissions across nested folders is tedious and time-consuming2016-10-27
    • Can't unsync subfolders, forcing awkward folder restructuring to keep files off the laptop2016-08-16
    Something wrong here?

This list counts all time; the period switch above only changes the ranking. Each issue is a group of similar complaints raised by at least 3 people in 3 different months and threads. Each line under an issue is Claude Haiku's summary of one of its latest comments, not a quote; follow it to read the comment on Hacker News.