Learn about limited access to files and folders in Google Drive

When you limit access to a folder, only people you give permission to can open it.

Sometimes, people who don't have permission might still see the folder, but it will look grayed out, and they can't open it.

A recent system-wide Drive update may have automatically applied limited access to some of your files and folders.

If this happens, people without permission will not see the folder at all.
You can check your activity and file versions to see if the update automatically limited your files. Learn how you can check activity & file versions.

In this article, you'll learn:

How to create or edit limited access to a folder.
Who can manage limited access folders.
How to manage people removed by limited access.
How to find & access folders with limited access.
Why you may not have access to a limited access folder.
How folders with limited access work across platforms.
How to identify which items have limited access.
How Google Drive applies limited access automatically.
What happens when you move folders with limited access.
How to delete folder hierarchies.

Create or edit limited access to a folder

The easiest way to control who sees sensitive files is to put them in a subfolder with limited access.

This way, you can share the main folder with a larger group, but only give specific people permission to see what’s inside the special subfolder. This helps you protect sensitive information.

Tip: The ability to manage limited access on multiple folders at the same time isn’t available.

On your computer, open Google Drive.
Right-click the folder you want to set up with limited access.
Click Share Share Settings .
To enable limited access to the folder, turn on Limit access.
Click Back .
In the share dialog, add or remove users to the folder.

Learn who can manage limited access folders

Who can limit access to a folder:

In My Drive: Folder owners can turn limited access on or off. If the option "Editors can change permissions" is turned on, then editors can also manage limited access.
In shared drives: Managers in shared drives can turn limited access on or off.

Who can manage the list of users to an item with limited access:

In My Drive: Item owners can always change the list of users with access to items with limited access. If the option "Editors can change permissions" is turned on, then editors can also manage the list of users.
In shared drives: Managers in shared drives can always change the list of users with access to items with limited access. If the option "Allow content managers to share folders" is turned on, then Content Managers can also manage the list of users.

Manage people removed by limited access

Important: The "People with access" list and "General access" settings always override the "Access removed" list. If someone is on the "Access removed" list, they can still open the file if they are part of a group with access or if the file has general access.

When you apply limited access to a folder, the sharing dialog may show an "Access removed" section. This list shows individuals or groups who have access to a parent folder but are specifically blocked from access to the limited access folder.

To give a person or group access again:

On your computer, open Google Drive.
For the file or folder, open the sharing dialog.
Under the “Access removed” section, locate the person's name.
Click Add to change their role.
For a specific item, assign one of these new roles: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
- Their new role doesn't need to match the access they have to the parent folder.

Tips:

To find a complete picture of who can access your file, always check both the "People with access" list and the "General access" setting.
In shared drives: You can’t remove access for managers of the shared drive.
In My Drive: You can’t remove the owner’s access to the item.

Learn who can find & access folders with limited access

Everyone with access to the parent folder can find folders with limited access. This includes shared drive members who are:
- Content Managers
- Contributors
- Commenters
- Viewers
In some cases, as part of a system-wide update to simplify sharing, Drive may have automatically applied limited access to some of your files and folders.
- If a user has access to a parent folder higher up in the hierarchy but not the specific folder with limited access, they won't be able to find the folder in Drive.
Only users listed in the folder’s permissions can find the folder’s content and metadata. If you don't have access to a folder that shows on your list, it's possible that the folder has limited access.

Tips:

In shared drives, managers can access folders with limited access.
If you're the folder owner, you can access your folders with limited access in My Drive.

Learn why you may not have access to a limited access folder

If you can’t open a limited access folder, it means that you aren’t included in the permissions for that folder. The folder is grayed out in your list of files.

If limited access was applied automatically by Drive, you may not be able to see the folder at all.

Examples of how a folder displays if you don’t have access:

On a computer:

On Android:

Learn how folders with limited access work across platforms

If you're on Drive Web:

The following roles can turn limited access on or off on a folder:
- In My Drive: Folder Owners and Editors.
- In Shared Drives: Managers.
The following roles can change who has access to a limited access folder:
- In My Drive: Folder Owners and Editors.
- In Shared Drives: Managers and Content Managers (only if the shared drive's Manager allows it).
If a limited access folder isn't shared with someone, it's grayed out for them and they can't open it.

If you're on the Drive for desktop app:

Folder Owners in My Drive and Managers in shared drives cannot change the limited access settings or who has access to a folder.
Content Managers in shared drives also cannot make these changes.
If a limited access folder isn't shared with someone, they won't see it at all.

Which items can have limited access?

You can only turn on the "Limited access" setting for folders.

In some cases, Drive automatically applies limited access to an individual file as part of a system-wide update. You can’t apply limited access to an individual file yourself.

Important: If you turn off the limited access automatically applied to a file, you can’t add it back. You can always turn limited access on and off for folders.

To restrict access to a specific file, create a new folder just for that file.

Create a new subfolder.
Move the specific file into this new subfolder.
Apply limited access to the new subfolder and share it with those who need it.

Understand how Google Drive applies limited access automatically

In some cases, you may notice that Google Drive automatically applies the "Limited access" setting to an individual file or folder. This isn’t an action you can do. This happens as part of system-wide updates to keep sharing permissions clear and consistent, like:

When a folder moves out of a shared drive, it leaves some items behind.
During system migrations that improve how permissions works.

This automatic setting doesn’t change who can access the item. Drive doesn’t automatically remove this setting once it’s applied.

Important: When Drive automatically applies limited access to the item, it’s hidden from people with access to the parent folder. But, if you apply the limited access manually, the item is only grayed out to them.

Learn what happens when you move folders with limited access

If you move folder hierarchies between shared drives, from a My Drive to a shared drive, or from a shared drive to a My Drive, it preserves folders with limited access.

To learn how to move folders into or across shared drives, go to Move files and folders into shared drives.

To learn how file access works when you move folders out of a shared drive, go to How file access works in shared drives.

Learn who can delete folder hierarchies

When you delete folders that contain folders with limited access, specific rules apply based on the folder’s location. If the folder is in:

A shared drive and you’re a:

Manager: You can delete the entire folder hierarchy. All its content moves to the trash.
Content Manager: The outcome depends on your access to the folders inside.
- If you have access to all content inside the folder you deleted, the entire hierarchy moves to the trash.
- If you don’t have access to folders inside the hierarchy, those folders aren’t deleted. Instead, they move to the main, top-level folder of the shared drive.

My Drive:

You can only delete folders you own. If you try to delete a folder you don’t own that contains subfolders with limited access. Instead, the folder moves to the owner’s "My Drive."