Google Gemini has quietly become an integral part of my workflow, helping me get more done in less time. What really sets it apart is how deeply it’s integrated into Google’s ecosystem.
After years of neglect, that same integration finally pushed me to tackle my messy Google Drive, helping me surface unwanted files, clean up clutter, and add some much-needed structure to how I store things.
Meet my new digital archivist
Gemini knows where my files belong
I already have a basic structure for how I store files in my Google Drive. All work-related files go into a Work folder, while personal files live in a Personal folder, each with its own set of sub-folders.
In theory, that setup should leave no stray files cluttering my Drive, but the reality is far from that.
Over time, files pile up in the root folder. Some of them should probably get their own dedicated sub-folders, while others should have been deleted long ago.
Instead, they linger in my Drive, occupying precious space and adding to the clutter.
All this changed when I recently discovered and used the Gemini-powered “Organize files” feature in Google Drive. Clicking that button felt like I found a digital archivist who understood my file organization logic.
I knew Gemini in Drive could summarize files and folders, but I never knew it could also help me organize them.
After analyzing my existing structure, Gemini suggested logical folders for my stray files. It was even smart enough to create an “Archived JV Financial” folder and move budget spreadsheets from previous years into it.
The Reason Suggested column provides insight into why Gemini thinks this is the right place for a file
The best part? For the suggestions I agreed with, all I had to do was select the files and click Move files. Gemini handled the rest, automatically placing everything in the suggested folders.
Doing this cleanup manually would have easily taken up an entire workday.
What surprised me most was how well the feature worked, with the majority of Gemini’s suggestions being spot on.
More importantly, it did not provide rigid suggestions. Instead, it took into account my existing folder structure and file contents, and how I had organized similar documents in the past. And that’s what made its suggestions click.
Cleaning up what folders hide
Gemini made a deep Drive cleanup fast and stress-free
Since the Organize files feature only works on files sitting in Drive’s root directory, I turned to the Gemini side panel to dig deeper.
After all, despite my best efforts, it was not like my Work and Personal folders were properly organized. Plus, there were files that I could always delete or achieve to further free up space in my account.
Inside my Work folder, I asked Gemini to find all unused files from 2020. Within seconds, it pulled up old project folders, outdated and incomplete invoices, and forgotten video exports that I hadn’t touched in years.
That made my decision easy, as I could quickly delete what was no longer relevant and move the rest into an archived folder.
I repeated the same prompts for a few more years and found several unwanted files and folders that I could get rid of.
All of this not only helped me reduce unwanted clutter but also freed up around 5GB of free space.
Again, without Gemini, this work would have taken hours, and for that reason alone, I would have procrastinated.
In any case, Gemini will never delete files automatically. It will only surface them, leaving the final action to me.
That’s important, as I always knew I was in control. I could be aggressive in cleaning my Drive without worrying about losing something important.
Impressed with Gemini’s capabilities inside Drive, I asked it for suggestions to improve the organization of the Work folder.
Besides giving me valuable input on how I can manage the folder hierarchy better, Gemini also flagged a few files that clearly belonged in my Personal folder.
Without Gemini’s help, the chances of me catching those files without going through every sub-folder and file were practically zero.
The Gemini sidebar in Google Drive is also a great way to find buried files.
This was another easy way to clean up deeper clutter in my Google Drive without manually digging through sub-folders.
Organizing Drive, minus the dread
I’ve always been obsessed with organizing the files and folders in my Drive properly. But despite my best efforts, the clutter kept piling on.
And given the time involved in cleaning the mess, I always pushed it back for another day.
With Gemini’s help, though, I could do everything within minutes and in just a few clicks.
I’m now also far less stressed about future clutter making its way into my Drive because I know I have a reliable AI-powered partner to help me deal with the mess when the time comes.
This is just one of the many ways I’ve integrated Gemini into my daily routine to boost my productivity.
