1. When to use shared drives

First, decide if you should use shared drives or My Drive.

In this section, you learn how to: 1.1 Differences between My Drive and shared drives 1.2 When to use shared drives 1.3 Common uses for shared drives

1.1 Differences between My Drive and shared drives

Some key differences between My Drive and shared drives are:

	My Drive	Shared drives
Who can add files?	The person who owns My Drive.	Any member with Contributor access or higher.
What types of files can I add?	All file types.	All file types (except Google Maps and Data Studio reports).
Who owns files and folders?	The individual who created the file or folder.	The team.
Can I move files and folders?	Yes, you can move files and folders around in My Drive.	If you have Contributor access or higher, you can move files from My Drive to a shared drive. If you have Content manager access or higher, you can move files and folders within a shared drive. If you have Manager access, you can move files out of a shared drive or between shared drives. If you want to move folders from My Drive to a shared drive, contact your administrator. For details on adding files to a shared drive, see Get started with shared drives.
Can I sync files to my computer?	Yes, using Google Drive for desktop or Backup and Sync. For details, see What can you do with Drive for desktop.	It depends on which sync solution you use: Drive for desktop: Yes Backup and Sync: No
How does sharing work?	Different users might see different files in a folder, depending on their access to individual files.	All members of the shared drive see all files.
How long do files I delete stay in Trash?	Files and folders in Trash are deleted forever after 30 days. The user can also delete files in Trash by selecting Delete Forever.	Each shared drive has its own Trash. Members with Content manager access and above can move files to Trash. Files and folders in Trash are deleted forever after 30 days. Members with Manager access can permanently delete files before 30 days.
Can I restore files?	Yes, if you’re an owner of the file.	Yes, if you have at least Contributor access.

1.2 When to use shared drives

Consider using a shared drive in these situations:

• You’re working on a project or event with a group of people who all need access to the same files.
• Most of your files are shared with the same group of people.
• Your files share a consistent theme or topic.
• The content you want to store isn’t personal and is of interest to a specific team or group.

1.3 Common uses for shared drives

Common uses for shared drives include:

• Projects—For people involved in the same project.
• Events—For people working for a defined period of time on a specific event or deliverable.
• Templates—For files that people can copy and reuse.
• Company-wide files—For files everyone needs access to, such as training files.
• Sensitive files—For highly sensitive files, where you can add extra security to limit access.