Getting Started with Labels and Info Fields

Drive Toolbox offers two powerful systems for organizing your files: Personal and Shared labels and info fields. You can view and edit the metadata for a file by clicking the down-caret icon the appears on the right-hand side of every row in the My Drive table.

Quick Comparison

Compare	Personal	Shared
Who can see it?	Only you	Anyone with Drive Toolbox who can view the file
Who can edit it?	Only you	Anyone with Drive Toolbox who can edit the file
Works on view-only files?	✅ Yes	❌ No (edit access required)
Storage limit?	Unlimited	~30 items per file
Where stored?	Your local database	Google Drive properties

Adding Personal Labels

Personal labels are private tags visible only to you.

Step 1: Select files

Click checkboxes next to files in the file list
Or right-click a single file

Step 2: Click Apply Labels

Find the button in the toolbar at the top
Or right-click and select Apply Labels

Step 3: Add labels

Type new label names (press Enter after each)
Or select from existing labels
Click Apply

Adding Shared Labels

Shared labels are collaborative tags visible to any Drive Toolbox user who has view access to the file.

Step 1: Select files (must have edit access)

If you try to add shared labels to view-only files, those files will be skipped and the label will not be applied.
Or right-click a single file

Step 2: Click Apply Shared Labels

Find the button in the toolbar

Step 3: Add labels

Type new label names or select existing ones
Click Apply

Note: Shared labels persist with the file, even if it's moved or re-shared. They are directly attached to the Google Drive file.

Creating Personal Info Fields

Personal info fields are similar to personal labels, but with two important differences: (1) they have names; and (2) their values have a specific type - String, Date, etc. These data types are useful when you want to filter your files using type-specific filters. E.g., if you add a "birthday" field to a file, and make it a date, you can use the filter system to find files with "birthday" fields between two particular dates. If the data type does not matter, use "String" - that just means it is a text field.

Adding Personal Info to Files

Once you've created info fields, you can add values to files.

Step 1: Select files

Choose one or more files

Step 2: Click Apply Personal Info

Find the button in the toolbar

Step 3: Fill in values

Select a field from the dropdown
Enter a value
Click Apply

Creating Shared Info Field Groups

Shared info fields are organized into groups for better organization.

Step 1: Go to Settings

Click the gear icon in the sidebar
Select Shared Info Fields tab

Step 2: Create a field group

Click Create New Field Group
Enter a group name (e.g., "Approvals", "Projects", "Legal")

Step 3: Add fields to the group

Click Add Field
Enter field name and select data type
Add more fields as needed
Click Save

Tip: Group related fields together (e.g., all approval-related fields in "Approvals")

Adding Shared Info to Files

Step 1: Select files (must have edit access)

Step 2: Click Apply Shared Info

Step 3: Fill in values

Select a field group
Select a field
Enter values
Click Apply

Using Metadata in Filters

Once you've added metadata, use it to find files quickly:

Filter by Personal Labels

label:"urgent"
label:"project-alpha"

Filter by Shared Labels

shared-label:equals:"approved"
shared-label:equals:"team-a"

Filter by Personal Info

info:"Project Code":equals:"ALPHA-123"
info:"Due Date":before:2026-12-31

Filter by Shared Info

shared-info:"Approvals/Status":equals:"Approved"
shared-info:"Projects/Priority":greater:3

See File Filtering for complete filter syntax.

Tips and Best Practices

Start Simple

Begin with just a few labels to categorize files
Add info fields only when you need structured data

Use Consistent Naming

Stick to lowercase with hyphens: project-alpha, needs-review
Or use PascalCase: ProjectAlpha, NeedsReview
Be consistent across your organization

Choose Personal vs. Shared Wisely

Personal: For your own organization, even on view-only files
Shared: For team collaboration, requires edit access

Don't Exceed Limits

Shared metadata is limited to ~30 items per file
If you need more, use Personal metadata instead

Leverage Field Groups

Organize shared fields into logical groups
Makes it easier to find and apply the right fields

Next Steps

Personal Filing System - Learn more about personal metadata
Shared Filing System - Learn more about shared metadata
File Filtering - Master advanced filtering techniques

Need Help?

If you run into issues:

Check that you have the right permissions (edit access for shared metadata)
Verify you haven't exceeded the ~30 item limit for shared metadata
Make sure field names don't contain special characters
Visit our documentation or contact support