You can change the color of any folder or subfolder in your Drive to help visually distinguish it from others. The default folder color is gray. Colors are applied to the folder icon and are visible to all contributors who access the Drive.
Why change folder color?
Color-coding your Drive folders is a lightweight but effective way to improve navigation speed and reduce the chance of contributors uploading assets to the wrong location. It works especially well as your Drive grows and folders become harder to scan at a glance.
Common reasons to use folder colors include:
Distinguishing folder types at a glance. Assign a consistent color to all system-adjacent folders, all product-specific folders, or all archive folders so contributors can orient themselves instantly.
Matching your category structure. If your knowledge base uses visual groupings or color-coded sections, applying the same colors to the corresponding Drive folders reinforces the connection between content and assets.
Flagging folders that need attention. Use a distinct color such as red or orange to mark folders that are temporary, under review, or due for cleanup.
Supporting multi-team environments. Assign a color per team or department so contributors can immediately identify which folders belong to their area.
Change the color of a folder
To change a folder's color,
Hover over the desired folder in the left navigation pane and click the More icon.
Click Change color. A color picker appears.
Select a color from the palette, or enter a Hex code to apply a custom color.
The folder icon updates immediately to reflect the selected color.
Color options
The color picker provides two ways to choose a color:
Option | How to use it |
|---|---|
Preset palette | Click any color from the palette of common colors. The folder icon updates immediately. |
Custom Hex code | Enter a six-character Hex code (for example, |
Color picker | Use the visual color picker to select any color by dragging the selector across the color spectrum. |
Best practices
Define a color convention for your team. Folder colors are most useful when they follow a shared system. Document your color scheme — for example, blue for product documentation, green for release notes, red for archived content — and share it with all contributors.
Keep the palette small. Using too many colors removes the visual benefit. Limit your scheme to four to six colors so each one carries a clear meaning.
Use color as a secondary signal, not the only one. Color alone is not enough to organize a large Drive. Pair color-coding with clear folder names and a structure that mirrors your category hierarchy for the best results.
Use gray as the neutral default. Leave gray for folders that do not fit a specific color category, or for folders that are new and not yet assigned. This way, an uncolored folder is itself a signal that it needs attention.
Consider accessibility. Not all contributors perceive color the same way. Always pair folder colors with descriptive folder names so the Drive remains navigable without relying on color alone.