This article is for administrators. To learn how to share or set permissions for your own files, go to Share files from Google Drive.
Supported for all Google Workspace, Cloud Identity, and G Suite editions
As an administrator, you can control if users can share Google Drive files and folders with people outside your organization. These sharing settings apply to items from Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites project files, My Maps, folders, and anything else stored in Drive.
Note: If you turn off or limit external sharing, users can still share forms with external responders.
- Example sharing setting scenarios
- Turn on or off external sharing of files and folders in Drive
- Allow external sharing with only certain domains
- Control who can move content to a shared drive owned by another organization
- Try managing Drive sharing with trust rules
Note: To control sharing with external non-Google users, turn visitor sharing on or off.
Example sharing setting scenarios
Turn on or off external sharing of files and folders in Drive
Sharing content in Drive with people outside your organization can be an important collaboration process, but it also carries risk of data leaks. If you turn on external sharing, you have options to limit sharing, such as warning users before they share or blocking link sharing.
If you turn off external sharing, users can’t share the following items with external users:
- Invitations to items created in Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- Links to files stored in Drive
- Items attached to emails, either uploaded directly from devices or stored in Drive
External users also lose access to any items previously shared with them.
You can also block these same items coming from external users to users in your organization. These restrictions apply to external group members. When files are shared with a group that has external users, those external users can’t access the file.
To turn external sharing on or off:
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Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
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Go to Menu
Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
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Click Sharing settings > Sharing options.
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(Optional) To apply the setting only to some users, at the side, select an organizational unit (often used for departments) or configuration group (advanced). Show me how
Group settings override organizational units. Learn more
- To turn on external sharing, click On and choose sharing options.
- To turn off external sharing, click Off. You can also block external content from being shared with your users, including content in third-party storage systems.
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Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit (or Unset for a group).
Allow external sharing with only certain domains
You can allow file sharing with only trusted (allowed) domains. When you use an allowlist to restrict sharing:
- The domain must be a Google Workspace domain unless you’re using visitor sharing.
- You can’t select only certain domains in the allowlist for file sharing. All trusted domains are included.
- Users can’t share files with personal accounts.
- If your organization has a mix of Cloud Identity and Google Workspace licenses, the allowlist applies to Cloud Identity users, too.
Before you begin: If needed, learn how to apply the setting to a department or group.
If you haven’t already, add trusted domains to your allowlist.
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Sign in with an administrator account to the Google Admin console.
If you aren’t using an administrator account, you can’t access the Admin console.
-
Go to Menu
Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs.
Requires having the Service Settings administrator privilege.
- Click Sharing settings
Sharing options.
-
(Optional) To apply the setting only to some users, at the side, select an organizational unit (often used for departments) or configuration group (advanced). Show me how
Group settings override organizational units. Learn more
- Click Allowlisted Domains and choose sharing options.
-
Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit (or Unset for a group).
It can take up to 24 hours to see changes. During this time, old and new settings might be intermittently enforced.
Control who can move content to a shared drive owned by another organization
You can allow or block moving content from shared drives that involve an external source or target. For example:
- You can block moving content from a shared drive in your organization to an external shared drive or external user's My Drive.
- You can block moving content from a user's My Drive in your organization to an external shared drive.
For details, go to Control sharing for your organization.
Try managing Drive sharing with trust rules
Supported editions for this feature: Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus. Compare your edition
Instead of using Drive settings for sharing outside your organization, you can use trust rules to manage sharing both outside and inside your organization. Trust rules give you more control over who your users can share with. For details, see Create and manage trust rules for Drive sharing.