Google Drive has become so prevalent nowadays that almost everyone has used it at least once or twice. But did you know that you get can get much more out of Google Drive than you probably do?

There are a huge variety of add-ons that you can install for Google Drive. If you care at all about your productivity or your performance when using Google Drive, then you absolutely need to be thinking about these. Here are five Google Drive add-ons that you’ll want to use.

1. Read&Write for Google Chrome

First on this list comes Read&Write for Google Chrome. Read&Write is a Google Drive add-on which enables more out of the service by allowing you to read PDFs more fluidly.

Despite all that Google Drive is capable of, there is no in-built functionality for reading PDFs. You can preview a PDF to see the first page, or download the actual file to open it yourself, sure. But if you want to quickly and easily open PDF documents, then you’re simply out of luck.

That’s where Read&Write comes in. Read&Write gives you the ability to open PDFs directly from Google Drive. All you need to do is right-click the file you want to view and select Open with. From there, you’ll be able to select Read&Write to open the file for you.

What’s great about Read&Write is that it does more than just let you view PDFs. You can also make the most of a variety of Google Drive features, such as real-time collaboration on shared PDFs through Google Docs-inspired text comments.

There are also a number of other features that you can make the most of, such as text dictation, in-built dictionary and translation services, and text annotations.

It is worth noting that some of these features are only available for premium users after a free 30-day trial. However, the core functionality, such as opening PDFs from within Drive and leaving Google Docs-inspired text comments, remains regardless of subscription.

2. Text Cleaner

A Screenshot of the Text Cleaner Add-on In Use

If you find yourself frequently moving pieces of text in and out of Google Docs, then Text Cleaner is an excellent add-on which might just make your life a whole lot easier.

Text Cleaner is an expansion of the existing clear formatting command, which you can find in Google Docs. By default, this feature allows you to keep basic formattings such as italics and bold when you copy and paste the content into your documents.

Related: How to Organize Any Project with a Work Breakdown Structure

If you want to keep more than just italics and bold, then that's where Text Cleaner comes in. Text cleaner allows you to bring in huge swathes of text which are filled with multiple fonts, different background colors, hyperlinks, and more. It then cleans these up for you so that you don't have to do it yourself.

3. Pear Deck

Next on this list comes Pear Deck, a Google Drive add-on that allows the material to be better absorbed by those who use it. It’s intended for teachers to use with their students, but if that doesn’t apply to you, don’t worry. Pear Deck is still a useful tool for anyone who can find a use for it.

Pear Deck’s general premise is simple. Instead of having basic presentations such as Google Slides, PowerPoints, or even PDFs, Pear Deck allows for greater engagement in your audience by allowing you to add interactive elements.

All you need to do is invite people to join your presentation on their own devices. From there, they’ll receive their own version of the material, which they can observe as you present.

Related: Common Google Drive Issues (And How to Solve Them)

Where Pear Deck shines, however, is in how it allows you to make your presentation interactive. You can add temperature checks, formative assessments, discussion prompts, and more to your presentation with ease.

You’ll be able to see individual responses and information pertaining to each participant. You can still use this information, even if it means putting in checks to see who has and has not completed the presentation.

If you’re worried about the overhead in creating a Pear Deck presentation, don’t be. While you can create a Pear Deck presentation from scratch, you can also convert just about any existing presentation format into a Pear Deck presentation quickly and easily, so there’s little to lose.

4. diagrams.net

A Screenshot of diagrams.net Google Drive Add-on

If you’re trying to organize your thoughts, then the base file options available in Google Drive aren’t always the best to do so. Google Docs, Sheets, and more are all useful, sure, but sometimes you need something less restrictive.

That’s where diagrams.net comes in. Powered by draw.io, diagrams.net is an add-on that plugs directly into Google Drive to let you create a wide variety of different diagrams.

If you’re looking to create flowcharts, UML diagrams, entity-relationship models, mockups, or just about any other form of diagram, then this extension helps you to accomplish just that.

You will find the files stored entirely within Google Drive, which means that you’ll be able to access them anywhere. Moreover, diagram.net fully supports importing a range of flowchart files, such as those from Gliffy and Lucidchart.

5. Gantter Project Management

Finally, we have Gantter Project Management. As you might expect from the name, this Google Drive add-on is heavily Gantt chart-based. Gantter Project Management combines the project management tools that you might find in desktop applications with Google Drive’s advantages on the cloud.

Related: The Best Free Gantt Chart Apps for Project Management

This lets you benefit from seamless task syncing from Gantter schedules to Google Calendars, as well as collaborative real-time editing on your scheduling.

The add-on also provides complete integration with MS Project files, as well as important functionality such as cost tracking, task tracking, and resource management, just to name a few.

Secure Your Drive

Hopefully, this list has shown you that there’s a lot more that you can accomplish with Google Drive than just its base functionality. If you’re serious about productivity or your workflow, then these types of add-ons are no doubt invaluable.

However, Google Drive is only as useful as it is secure. Knowing who and what can access your files is of paramount importance, and can be harder to accomplish than you might think.