San Francisco( The COW News Digital) Tech giant Google has introduced a video editing feature directly within Google Drive, allowing users to edit videos on the cloud storage platform without needing third-party software.
The new feature is part of Google’s ongoing effort to enhance its cloud workspace tools, which recently saw updates such as automatic captioning, visual redesigns, instant playback for newly updated videos, timestamped transcripts, and even YouTube-style thumbnail previews.
Google’s latest addition, called Google Wads, will appear as a purple icon on the top-right corner when users play a video in Drive. Clicking this icon opens the video in Google Wads, enabling users to perform trimming, add music and media, insert text overlays, and other common editing functions. Once editing is complete, the platform generates a Wads file, which users can save or export as needed.
This integration allows users, especially Workspace domain members, to streamline their workflow by editing videos directly in the cloud, removing the need for downloading, editing offline, and re-uploading. Google says this is aimed at enhancing productivity and collaboration among remote teams and individual creators.
However, there are certain limitations to the new feature. It currently supports only MP4, QuickTime, OGG, and WebM formats, with maximum video durations of 35 minutes and a file size limit of 4GB. Google has stated that it is exploring ways to expand compatibility and accommodate larger files in future updates.
Industry analysts view this update as a significant step in cloud-based content creation, as Google Drive continues to compete with platforms offering integrated editing tools. It also aligns with Google’s broader vision of keeping users within the Drive ecosystem for multiple tasks, from storage and collaboration to content creation.
Users and digital creators are already showing interest in experimenting with Google Wads, noting that its ease of use and accessibility could make video editing more efficient for teams, educators, and social media creators. Early reviews suggest the platform performs smoothly for short to medium-length videos, with intuitive editing tools suitable for basic content creation.
As cloud-based workflows become increasingly common, Google’s new video editing feature is expected to enhance productivity, especially for professionals relying on remote collaboration and cloud storage.
