Google launched its cloud storage service Google Drive in 2012, specifically on April 24 of that year.
Drive gave users a place to store files on Google’s servers, synchronize them across computers and mobile devices, and share them with other people. At launch, it also incorporated Google Docs, making documents, spreadsheets, and presentations central parts of the service rather than separate products.
Google Drive debuted with 5 GB of free storage. It initially offered applications for Windows, macOS, and Android, while the iOS app followed in June 2012. The service was designed to compete with cloud-storage products such as Dropbox while building on Google’s existing online productivity tools.
A common confusion is between Google Drive’s consumer launch and later business offerings. Google introduced Drive for Work in 2014 with expanded storage, auditing, and security controls. Google later unified Drive with Gmail and other Google services under broader Google Workspace storage plans.