You can literally find anything online; that is, if you know how to search and where to look. For instance, you can more easily search for a particular photo by using the right query and searching via Google Images.

Similarly, you can easily find public Google Docs, Slides, Forms, Drawings, and Sheets using some easy but Advanced Search operations and tools. In this article, we'll show you some simple tricks to help you find public Google Drive files including Slides, Forms, Sheets, and Drawings.

1. Use Google Search to Find Public Google Docs and More

There are several ways to search for public Google Drive files via Google Search. You can do so using the following string:

keyword site:docs.google.com/type

For instance, to search for public Google Drive presentations about “business plan”, enter the following into your browser’s address bar:

business plan site:docs.google.com/presentation/

Google Search shortcut result

You can also use any of the following:

  • site:docs.google.com keyword
  • site:drive.google.com keyword

2. Use Google's Advanced Search to Find Public Google Docs and More

Google Advanced Search page

You can also use Google Advanced Search to find public Google Drive files. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Google Advanced Search.
  2. Go to the Find pages with… section and enter all the words you want to search for in the …all these words field. For example, "business plan." You can choose to search for specific words instead, among others.
  3. Scroll down to the site or domain box and fill in the details, e.g., "docs.google.com", if searching for Google Docs in particular.
  4. Fill in any other specific fields you want to include.
  5. When done, click on Advanced Search.

Click on any of the results to view them in Google Docs. If you've used any other Google search tips and operators, this should seem familiar.

You can also access publicly indexed Google Drive files by inputting any of the following shortcuts into the site or domain field while using the Advanced Search method described above.

  • For text documents: docs.google.com/document/
  • For presentations: docs.google.com/presentation/
  • For drawings: docs.google.com/drawings/
  • For files such as images, audio, video, PDF, etc.: docs.google.com/files/
  • For folders: docs.google.com/folder/
  • For other documents: docs.google.com/open/

3. Search Within Folders to Find Public Google Docs and More

You can equally search for public Google Drive folders by copying and pasting the following into your address bar:

keyword site://https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=

For instance, to search for all Google Docs folders containing JPEG, copy and paste the following into your browser:

jpeg site://https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=

4. Use Heystack to Find Public Google Docs and More

Heystack website homepage

Heystack allows you to discover the best Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides created by community members.

Haystack is free and easy to use. Here’s how to find public Google Drive files with Heystack:

  1. Go to Heystack.
  2. Enter your query into the Search box or click on any of the categories listed under Filter results.
  3. Scroll to the Results section and click on any that interests you.
  4. Click on either Open the doc page or Open the source doc.
    Gdrive Search results page
    The former will open the document within Heystack's native document viewer, while the latter will open the document in your Google Docs.
  5. You can make a copy of the document and save it in Google Drive.

5. Use Gdrive Search to Find Public Google Docs and More

Gdrive Search website

Google Drive Search, also known as Gdrive Search, allows you to easily search Google Drive public files just like searching your own Google Drive. It is also free and super easy to use.

Here’s how to search Google Drive public files with Gdrive Search:

  1. Go to Gdrive Search.
  2. Input your keyword in the space provided and click on either Doc or Drive or press Enter.
  3. It’ll either execute a site:docs.google.com keyword search or a site:drive.google.com keyword search accordingly.

Easily Find Public Google Drive Files

Whether you're searching for Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, or Drawings, you can find them all and more using these public Google Drive search techniques.

Public Google Drive files are an untapped goldmine that can change the way you search. You can add this to your regular search routine to improve your results, whether you're searching Amazon or YouTube.