How to tag files in Google Drive: every option, step by step

If you searched "how to tag files in Google Drive", you probably looked for a tag button and did not find one. That is normal. Drive's own labeling feature, Drive Labels, is limited to certain Google Workspace editions and only administrators can create labels.^[3][2] Everyone else has to work with what Drive's help pages call organizing tips: naming conventions, folder colors, stars, descriptions and shortcuts.^[1] This guide walks through each option, then shows where a separate tagging layer fits.

The short answer

• Personal Gmail account: use file names, stars, shortcuts, or a tagging layer such as FolderPls. Drive Labels are not available.
• Workspace edition with Drive Labels: ask your admin to create the labels, then apply them from the file's details panel.
• Business Starter or no admin: same as a personal account.

Not sure which group you are in? The Drive Labels checker follows Google's edition list in two clicks.

1. Put the tags in the file name

Drive's help suggests a naming convention with short, meaningful names that can include dates, keywords or numbers.^[1] Turn that into a tag system by fixing the order of the parts, for example Client_Project_Status_2026-10.

1. Decide the parts and their order (client, project, status, date).
2. Right-click a file in Drive and choose Rename, then type the new name.
3. Search for any part, such as "Approved", in the Drive search bar.

Strength: zero setup and it shows up in Drive search. Weakness: renaming changes the name other people see, and a file that belongs to two projects can only carry one name.

2. Stars and folder colors

To star an item, right-click it and choose Organize, then Add to starred. To color a folder, right-click it, choose Organize and pick a color under Folder color. Google notes that folder colors apply only to your own version of Drive.^[1] Stars give you one yes-or-no flag, and colors are per folder, so neither is a real tag vocabulary.

3. Shortcuts: one file, several places

A shortcut is a link that references another file or folder.^[1] To make one, right-click the item, choose Organize, then Add shortcut, and pick the folder where it should appear. Deleting a shortcut does not delete the original file.^[1] This solves "one file, two categories" at the price of one folder per category.

4. Descriptions as notes

Drive now lets you add rich text descriptions to files and folders: select the item, open Details in the side panel and edit the description.^[1] A description is good for context ("final version sent to the client"). It is a note, not a filterable tag.

5. Drive Labels, if your edition has them

Drive Labels attach structured metadata to files. An administrator creates the labels, and people with access to a label can apply it to files they can edit.^[2] Google lists the supported editions in its admin documentation, and personal accounts and Business Starter are not on that list.^[3] Details and limits are in Drive Labels: who can use them.

6. A tagging layer on top of Drive

If you want your own multi-tag vocabulary without an admin, a separate tagging layer keeps files where they are and stores the tags on its side. This is how FolderPls works:

1. Sign up with your Google account and allow Drive access.
2. Choose the files you want to organize with Google's file picker. FolderPls can only see the files you pick, because it asks Google for the narrow drive.file permission.
3. Create tags such as "Client · Acme", "Approved" or "2026 taxes" and apply as many as you like to each file. You can color tags, add a note, or give a tag an end date.
4. Filter by tags, or type a query such as label:approved into the search box, then open the original file in Drive.

Next: compare the options in Google Drive Labels alternatives, or learn to organize Google Drive files by tags.