For many businesses, agencies, and content creators, Google Drive is central to their workflow. From documents and forms to large media files and team folders, it’s a go-to cloud storage solution. But what happens when you want to securely display or manage Google Drive files directly from your WordPress website? That’s where the Use-your-Drive plugin comes in.

This powerful premium plugin brings the full power of Google Drive into your WordPress dashboard—no custom code, no complicated APIs. Whether you want to embed a folder, create a private download hub, or build a file manager for clients, Use-your-Drive does it all.

Let’s dive into why this plugin is trusted by thousands of professionals and developers around the world.

What Is Use-your-Drive?

Use-your-Drive is a premium WordPress plugin developed by WP-Lab that provides a seamless integration between your WordPress site and Google Drive. It allows you to:

  • Display and manage Google Drive files from the front end

  • Embed folders, galleries, documents, and videos

  • Create upload forms that sync directly to Drive

  • Offer secure file access to logged-in users

  • Enable previews, downloads, sorting, and search

It’s not just an embed tool. Use-your-Drive acts as a powerful front-end file manager, perfect for client portals, internal dashboards, download centers, and educational sites.

Who Should Use Use-your-Drive?

This plugin is ideal for:

  • Agencies & freelancers sharing documents with clients

  • Coaches & course creators delivering downloadable content

  • Schools & educators providing access to class materials

  • eCommerce sites offering digital product delivery

  • Construction firms or legal teams managing shared documents

  • Membership sites offering gated downloads

If you use Google Drive as a core part of your business and want to present or protect content through WordPress, this plugin is for you.

Key Features at a Glance

Full Google Drive integration inside WordPress
Display folders, documents, videos, and images
File upload forms synced to Drive
User-specific private folders
Shortcode generator and Gutenberg block support
File preview with lightbox, download, or inline view
Access control by role or user
Search and sorting features
Built-in caching for performance
Mobile responsive and retina-ready
Multilingual and GDPR-ready

1. Display Google Drive Files on Your Site

The core feature of Use-your-Drive is its ability to display Google Drive files and folders directly on your WordPress site.

You can choose to show:

  • A folder tree

  • A grid-based gallery

  • A list of downloadable documents

  • Embedded PDFs, Docs, Sheets, or Videos

  • Recent uploads or user-specific folders

Everything is live and synced. If you update something in Drive, it instantly reflects on your site. That’s a huge time-saver for teams and businesses constantly updating files.

2. Multiple Display Modes: List, Gallery, and Table

Depending on your use case, you can pick from different layouts:

  • Table View: Great for spreadsheets, forms, and document libraries

  • List View: Ideal for simple file navigation

  • Gallery View: Perfect for image previews and media libraries

  • Accordion View: Nested folders with expand/collapse actions

  • Single Item Embed: For displaying one PDF, DOC, or video

And yes—it’s all responsive. Whether users are on desktop or mobile, the interface adapts beautifully.

3. Upload Forms with Google Drive Sync

Need users or clients to upload files directly to a specific Google Drive folder?

Use-your-Drive includes a customizable upload form you can embed anywhere using a shortcode or block. You can:

  • Specify which folder files are sent to

  • Restrict upload types (e.g., PDF, DOCX, MP4)

  • Set max file sizes and number of files

  • Let users drag and drop files

  • Show confirmation messages or email alerts

This makes it excellent for:

  • Intake forms

  • Assignment submissions

  • Creative briefs or contract uploads

  • Collecting invoices or receipts

4. Access Control and File Permissions

Not every file should be visible to everyone. Use-your-Drive lets you:

  • Restrict access to logged-in users only

  • Display certain folders based on WordPress user roles

  • Create private folders for each user automatically

  • Protect file views or downloads with shortcodes or custom rules

  • Hide or disable file previews, downloads, or sharing

This is incredibly useful for membership sites, client dashboards, or internal file management.

5. Embed PDF, Google Docs, Sheets, and More

Want to embed a PDF, Word Doc, or Google Sheet right inside a post? Use-your-Drive makes it easy.

You can insert individual files using:

  • Gutenberg blocks

  • Shortcodes

  • Elementor widgets (via shortcode)

  • Page builders like WPBakery or Beaver Builder

Viewers can see the full document without leaving your site. It supports inline viewing, lightbox preview, or external links—your choice.

6. Advanced Search and Sorting Options

With dozens or even hundreds of files, organization is key.

Use-your-Drive includes:

  • Real-time search with filters

  • Sort by date, name, size, or type

  • Toggle between ascending or descending

  • Breadcrumb navigation for folders

  • Lazy loading for performance optimization

This makes browsing large repositories feel fast and intuitive—even on mobile devices.

7. User-Specific Private Folders

Need each user to have their own secure folder?

You can create automatically generated private folders per user, such as:

  • /Clients/Username/

  • /Students/StudentName/

  • /Projects/UserID/

Each folder is linked to that WordPress user’s account. They can view, upload, and manage only their own content—making this feature perfect for client portals, school dashboards, or internal intranets.

8. Built-in File Preview and Media Player

Use-your-Drive supports inline previews for:

  • PDFs, Word Docs, and Spreadsheets

  • Images and galleries (JPG, PNG, GIF)

  • Videos (MP4, AVI, WebM)

  • Audio (MP3, WAV)

For videos and audio, it uses a sleek, mobile-optimized player that supports streaming from Google Drive—saving your server’s bandwidth.

9. Caching, Performance, and Security

Despite handling real-time content from Google Drive, the plugin is built for performance.

It includes:

  • Smart caching to reduce API calls

  • Token-based authentication with secure OAuth 2.0

  • Rate limiting to prevent abuse

  • GDPR-compliant setup with data policies

  • Sanitized input/output to prevent malicious file names or injections

Your site stays fast and secure, even with thousands of users accessing files simultaneously.

10. Compatibility with Page Builders and Themes

This plugin works seamlessly with:

  • Gutenberg

  • Elementor

  • WPBakery Page Builder

  • Divi (via shortcode)

  • Classic Editor

  • Custom widgets or templates

It’s also theme-agnostic, so whether you use Astra, Divi, Hello Elementor, or a custom theme—you’re covered.

Real-World Use Case: A Design Agency’s Client Portal

Let’s say you run “CreativeHub”—a design agency managing 50+ clients.

Using Use-your-Drive, you can:

  • Create individual client folders on Google Drive

  • Embed each folder on a private WordPress page (one per client)

  • Let clients view, comment, or download assets like logos, videos, and mockups

  • Let clients upload feedback documents or new requests via a form

  • Protect each page using WordPress membership plugins (e.g., MemberPress or Restrict Content Pro)

With this setup, you now have a self-managed client delivery system without complex portals or file management plugins.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Seamless, real-time Google Drive integration

  • Multiple layouts: list, gallery, grid, table, accordion

  • File uploads directly to Drive

  • User-specific folder support

  • Strong access control and security features

  • Clean design and mobile-friendly

  • Fast performance with smart caching

  • GDPR-compliant and developer-friendly

Cons:

  • Premium plugin (no free version)

  • Requires setting up Google API credentials (one-time but slightly technical)

  • Works only with Google Drive (not Dropbox or OneDrive)

  • No full-blown file editing interface—viewing only

Pricing & Licensing

Use-your-Drive is available on CodeCanyon with a one-time payment.

License Type Price Features Included
Regular License $39 (one-time) 1 website, all features, future updates
Extended Support +$12.75 Adds 6 extra months of premium support

Included in all purchases:

  • Lifetime updates

  • Full Google Drive sync

  • Access to upload forms and private folders

  • Documentation and setup guide

  • Customer support via WP-Lab’s team

There are no hidden monthly fees—just one payment and done.

Final Verdict: Is Use-your-Drive Worth It?

Absolutely—if you rely on Google Drive for your business or digital content delivery.

Use-your-Drive brings all your cloud files into WordPress without sacrificing speed, security, or flexibility. Whether you’re running a school, client portal, team dashboard, or membership site, the plugin lets you:

  • Display and preview documents

  • Control access and visibility

  • Collect file uploads from users

  • Build file hubs that update in real time

  • Offer gated downloads or user-specific folders

Compared to building your own Google API integration—or using clunky embed tools—this plugin is faster, smarter, and more professional.

Where to Get Use-your-Drive

You can purchase Use-your-Drive directly from CodeCanyon:

Follow the setup guide to connect your Google Drive account, and start showcasing your files like a pro.

Click here to get this Plugin now!

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