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. Select the file you want to share.
  2. Click Share or Share Share.
  3. Under "Share with people and groups," enter the email address you want to share with. 
    • Important: If you share with an email address that isn’t a Google Account, they can only view the file.
  4. To change what people can do to your doc, on the right, click the Down arrow Down and then Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
  5. Choose to notify people.
    • If you want to notify people that you shared a doc with them, check the box next to Notify people. If you notify people, each email address you enter will be included in the email.
    • If you don't want to notify people, uncheck the box.
  6. Click Share or Send.

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. (Optional) To specify what people can do with your file when you share it, under your organization name, click Change:
    • To change the permission, at right, click the Down arrow  and select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
    • To allow sharing the link outside of your organization, next to your organization name, click the Down arrow and thenPublic.

      Note: If you don't see this option, contact your G Suite administrator.

  4. Click Copy link.
  5. Click Done.
  6. 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. Under Get link, click Change.
  4. Next to your organization name, click the Down arrow and thenRestricted.
  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. Next to the person, click the Down arrow and thenRemove.
  4. 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 and 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 and 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 and 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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