Share folders in Google Drive


               

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Here's what people can do with a folder after you share it with them:

  • Can organise, add and edit: If they're signed in to a Google Account, people can open, edit, delete or move any files within the folder. People can also add files to the folder.
  • Can view only: People can see the folder and they can open all the files within the folder.

More about folder sharing:

  • When you share or change permissions for a folder, the files and subfolders inside are updated with the new sharing permissions. This ensures that permission management is simple and that access is consistent.
  • Permissions from a parent folder are inherited by all the files and folders within it. Files added to a folder later will also inherit these permissions.
  • If a file or subfolder needs more restrictive permissions than its parent folder, you should create a limited access folder. Learn how to limit access to folders.

How to share folders

Share with specific people
  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Drive app.
  2. Select the folder that you want to share.
  3. Select share Add approver .
  4. Enter the email address or Google Group that you want to share with.
  5. To decide what role people will have with your folder, select Viewer, Commenter or Editor.
  6. Choose to notify people.
    • If you want to notify people that you have shared an item with them, tick the box next to 'Notify people'. If you notify people, each email address that you enter is included in the email. If you don't want to notify people, untick the box.
  7. Tap Send Send.

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.
Share with a group of specific people

Share with a Google Group

In Google Drive, you can share folders with Google Groups instead of specific people. When you:

  • Add a member to a group: That person gains permission to access the files and folders that the group has.
  • Remove a member from a group: That person loses permission to access the files and folders that the group has.

To share a folder with your Google Group:

  1. Create a Google Group.
  2. Add members to your group.
  3. Share the folder with your group.

Tip: Before a folder appears in your 'Shared with me' folder, you must open that folder from an invitation or a link.

Allow general access to the folder

Decide if your folder will be generally available or restricted to only the people with access. If you allow access to anyone with the link, anyone can open the folder.

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Google Drive app.
  2. Next to the folder's name, tap more More.
  3. Tap Manage access.
  4. Under 'General access', tap the right arrow.
  5. Choose who can access the file.
    • Tip: If you use your Google Account for work or school, you can choose to only share files and folders with a specific audience, like your department.
  6. Decide what role people will have with your folder by selecting an option.
  7. Select whether or not people can find the folder in search results.
  8. Tap Back.

Change sharing permissions for shared folders

Edit, comment or view shared files

When you share a folder, the files and subfolders inside will have the same status as the folder that you share:

  • Editor: People can open, edit, delete or move any files within the folder. People can also add files to the folder.
  • Commenter: People can make comments and suggestions on files in the folder but can't change or share items in the folder with others.
  • Viewer: People can see the folder and they can open all files within the folder.

If you want to change how specific files are shared, you can do so after you've shared the folder.

Transfer ownership

To transfer ownership of a folder, go to drive.google.com on a computer.

Files deleted from shared folders

When someone deletes a file from a shared folder, everyone except the owner of the file will lose access.

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