Stop, limit or change sharing

               

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After you share a file, you can stop sharing at any time. You can also control if people that you've shared with can change or share your file.

Tips:

• When you update permissions for an item in My Drive, you may be prompted to manage permissions for the folder that it's in. This happens if you try to give someone less access to the item than they inherit from the parent folder.
• This ensures consistent access across the entire folder.

Stop sharing a file

Important:

• If you share a file with people, the owner and anyone with edit access can change sharing permissions and share the file.
• If you don't want anyone to publicly access your file, stop publishing the file.

Find who has access to a file

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Next to the file or folder name, tap More .
3. Tap Manage access.
   • A panel displays:
     • Who owns the file
     • Who can access the file
     • Whether the file inherits permissions from its parent folder
4. Review the list of people and groups with access.
5. If you have the correct permissions, tap Share to make changes.

Stop sharing a file or folder

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Select a file or folder.
3. Tap Manage access.
4. Find the person you want to stop sharing with.
   • If the person can access the file's folder, you can:
     • Remove their access from the parent folder.
     • Change their permission level for the entire folder.
5. Tap the person Remove.

Restrict general access to a file or folder

When you change an item's general access to 'Restricted', only people with access can open the file. This overrides inherited parent folder permissions.

1. Open the Google Drive app.
2. Open or select a file.
3. Tap Manage access.
4. Under 'General access',  tap Change.
5. Tap the audience who has access.
6. Select Restricted.

Delete a shared file

If you delete a shared file that you own:

• People who can view, comment on or edit it will be able to make a copy until you've deleted it permanently.
• To permanently delete the file, find the file in your trash and tap More  Delete forever.

If you delete a shared file that you do not own:

• It will be removed from your Drive, but still accessible to other collaborators.
• To get the file back, open a link to the file. You’ll see the file in 'Shared with me'.

Change share settings for Google Forms

Google Forms often have different sharing options from other kinds of files.

• Share forms for people to fill in and submit
• Share forms for others to collaborate

Related resources

• Share files from Google Drive
• Transfer file ownership
• Share folders in Google Drive
• Find files that are shared with you