Google Drive now has a dedicated spam folder for unwanted files

Gif Credit: Google Workspace Updates

Google is expanding spam protections in Google Drive by introducing a new spam folder - a dedicated space for handling and organizing potentially spammy or irrelevant files.

Similar to how the spam folder works in Gmail, Drive will also automatically classify content into spam view. The dedicated spam folder has been added to the Google Drive homepage on Web, Android, iOS and Drive for Desktop.

To mark a file as spam in Google Drive

• Open Google Drive.
• Right-click on a file in Shared with me.
• You can also select multiple files - check the box to the left of the file name, then right-click)
• Click Report.
• You can also simply drag one or multiple files into the spam folder in the left-hand navigation menu.
• Select which type of unwanted content you want to report. You can select whether you want to block a user.

You can also manually move Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, and Forms files in and out of the spam folder. Once a file is moved to Spam, it is automatically deleted after 30 days.

"We've offered best-in-class Gmail and Drive spam, phishing, and malware prevention for years, but Drive has lacked a spam folder, similar to the Gmail spam folder, to place unwanted content. By introducing a spam view, we're simultaneously giving users more control over their content while blocking harmful files without risking impact to our users," Google wrote in a post.

The extended rollout for the new spam folder in Google Drive is scheduled to begin on May 24, 2023. The visibility of the feature will gradually increase over time, potentially taking longer than 15 days for it to be fully visible to all users.

It will be available to all Google Workspace customers, legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers as well as to users with personal Google Accounts.