Get started with shared drives

4. Share and collaborate in shared drives

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Any files you put in a shared drive are automatically shared with members of the shared drive. Any member can also share files with people who aren’t members unless you restrict sharing.
 

In this section, you learn how to:

4.1 Share files
4.2 Unshare files
4.3 Protect files
4.4 See or email members

4.1 Share files

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Requires at least Contributor access

Just like in Drive, there are different ways to share files in shared drives with people who aren't members of the shared drive.

Note: Folders in shared drives can't be shared. Also, your ability to share files might be limited by your organization. Ask your G Suite admin for more information.

Share files with individuals or groups:

  1. In a shared drive, click the file you want to share.
  2. At the top, click Share Share.
  3. Add names, email addresses, or groups from Google Groups.
  4. (Optional) To change the permission from Edit, click the Down arrow Down Arrow and choose another permission.
  5. (Optional) Add a message.
  6. (Optional) If you don't want to send notifications, check the Skip sending notification box.
  7. Click Send or Add.

To limit sharing options, see Restrict sharing options on sensitive Drive files.

Share files

Share a link:

To make a file widely accessible and avoid managing access in your organization, you can share the file with a link. Anyone in your organization who gets the link can access the file. Optionally, you can let other users share the link with people that are not in your organization.

  1. In a shared drive, click the file you want to share.
  2. At the top, click Share Share.
  3. Click Who has access.
  4. Next to Link sharing off, click the Down arrow Down Arrow.
  5. Next to Link Sharing, click Turn on Turn on to make the link accessible to anyone in your organization.
  6. Under the URL, click the Down arrow Down Arrow and select a permission level.
  7. (Optional) To allow sharing the link outside of your organization, check the Allow external access box.
    Note: If you don't see this option, it could be turned off by your G Suite admin.
  8. (Optional) To make the document searchable in Drive, check the Findable in search results box.
  9. Click Copy to copy the link.
  10. Click Done.
  11. Paste the link in an email, on a website, or wherever you need to share it.

Share a link

4.2 Unshare files

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Unshare files with your organization:

  1. In a shared drive, click the file you want to unshare.
  2. Click Share Share.
  3. Click Who has access.
  4. Next to Link Sharing, click Turn off Turn off.
  5. Click Done.

Unshare files

Unshare files with individuals:

  1. In a shared drive, click the file you want to unshare.
  2. Click Share Share.
  3. Click Who has access.
  4. Next to the shared drive, click the Down arrow Down Arrow.
  5. Next to the person, click the Down arrow Down Arrowand thenRemove.
  6. Click Done.

Note: Group settings can override individual settings. So, if you try to unshare a file with a person who belongs to an organization or group with access to the file, this person can still access the file.

Remove access

4.3 Protect files" "

Protect all files in a shared drive:

Requires Manager access

  1. On the left, click the shared drive that contains the files you want to protect.
  2. At the top, next to the shared drive name, click the Down arrow Down Arrowand thenShared drive settings.
  3. Click Edit to set any of these permissions:
    • Sharing files with people outside of your organization
    • Sharing files with people in your organization who aren’t members of the shared drive
    • Allowing people with Commenter and Viewer access to download, copy, or print files
  4. After you choose an option, click Apply.
  5. Click Done.

Protect all files in a shared drive

Prevent people from downloading, printing, or copying a file:

Requires Manager access

  1. Click the file you want to protect.
  2. At the top, click Share Share.
  3. At the bottom, click Who Has Access.
  4. Click More Moreand thencheck the Restrict download, print, & copy actions on this file for commenters and viewers box.
  5. Click Done.

Note: You can limit how people share, print, download, and copy within Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, but you can't stop how others share the file content in other ways.

Prevent downloading, printing, or copying files

4.4 See or email members

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See members of a shared drive:

  1. On the left, click a shared drive.
  2. Under the shared drive name, click the number of members.

Email members of a shared drive:

  1. On the left, click a shared drive.
  2. At the top, next to the shared drive name, click the Down arrow Down Arrowand thenEmail members.
  3. Change the subject and enter your message.
  4. (Optional) To only email members with specific access levels, or to send yourself a copy of the email, check the boxes.
  5. Click Send.

A link to the shared drive is included in the email.

Email members of a shared drive

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