You can link Box, Dropbox and Google Drive with Hive. See and share your files without any disruption to your workflow!
And it only takes a few steps.
Click on the "Apps" icon left of the navigation panel
Toggle on the cloud drive that your company is using
It will open a new window that will require you to enter your username and password
Sign in and you will instantly have access to all your files (Google Drive, Dropbox, Box) or you will have the option to connect out to OneDrive (files are not listed in Hive for OneDrive).
Attaching files within Hive:
You can attach files:
On an action card
In a comment on an action card
As a proof in the action card
On the Project Overview page
In a chat message
In order to attach a file in an action card, click on the paperclip icon either on the action or in a comment.
Open a file attached to a card
When you click one of these files in the card's attachments, it opens in a preview in the proofing viewer:
Videos
PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Keynote (.key), OpenDocument (.odt, .odp) and .rtf files
The preview is read-only. A Preview label shows at the top. In a narrow window, the label is an eye icon. You cannot add comments or annotations in the preview. Open More (⋯) to download the file.
To comment on the file or collect approvals, click Start proof review. This makes the file the card's proof. Then the full proofing viewer opens.
If the card already has a proof, the button shows Add as new proof version. The file becomes the next version of that proof.
If the file is already a version of the card's proof, the button shows Open proof review. Hive opens the proof and does not add the file again.
If your workspace does not have Proofing & Approvals, the button still shows. Your organization gets 50 free proof reviews, so you can click it to start a review. You do not need to be an admin. After your organization uses the 50 reviews, a workspace admin must buy the add-on to start more reviews. Other members can send a request to the workspace admins. See Purchasing add-ons in Hive.
Good to know:
This works only for files uploaded to Hive, not for files linked from Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.
Spreadsheets, CSV and text files, images and .zip files keep their usual preview.
If a Word file is the card's Review in Hive document, it opens in Review in Hive.
The button does not show if the card has a proof folder, or if Approvals or Proofing is hidden for that card or project.
If Hive cannot convert a document, the preview shows Preview unavailable. Try downloading the file. and a Download original button. The Start proof review button does not show. To proof the file, use Add proof on the card.
To upload a file as proof to the action card, hit the arrow icon next to the 'Add proof' button.
To attach a file in the Project Overview page, navigate to the 'Attachments' section and click '+ Add Attachment'.
Finally, to upload a file to a chat message, click the + symbol on the left-hand side of the chat bar when typing a message.
Attaching Google Drive files in the Hive Desktop app
In the Hive Desktop app, choosing files from Google Drive now happens in your default web browser instead of inside Hive. Google no longer allows its file picker inside desktop apps.
In Hive Desktop, attach a file from Google Drive as usual (for example, from the paperclip on an action card or from Add proof).
Your web browser opens Google. Sign in if asked, choose your file, and confirm.
When the browser shows You can close this tab and return to Hive., go back to Hive Desktop. Your file is attached.
Good to know:
Choose files from the same Google account that is connected to Hive. If you use a different account, Hive shows Pick a file from the Google account connected to Hive.
Finish choosing within 5 minutes. If you take longer, Hive shows Google Drive did not respond. Try attaching again.
Hive in a web browser is unchanged: the Google Drive picker still opens inside Hive.
Older Hive Desktop versions (before 3.2.29) keep the old in-app picker until November 15, 2026. After that date they show Update Hive Desktop to attach Google Drive files, or open Hive in your browser. Update Hive Desktop to keep attaching Google Drive files.