You can share the files and folders that you store in Google Drive with anyone in your work or school account, but your organization may limit how you can share files with other people.
When you share from Google Drive, you can control whether people can edit, comment on, or only view the file. When you share content from Google Drive, the Google Drive program policies apply.
Learn how to add files to a folder and share the entire folder.
If you use a Google Account through work or school, you might not be able to share files outside of your organization.
You can send other people a link to your file so anyone with the link can use it. When you share a link to a file, your name will be visible as the owner of 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. You might see a description of each audience when you hover over the the group name.
Important: If you use a Google Account through work or school, you might not be able to share publicly.
People who aren't signed in to a Google Account show up as anonymous animals in your file.
When you share a file with someone, you can choose what they can do with it.
When you share a link to a file, you control how widely the file is shared. These options depend on if your Google Account is through work, school, or Gmail.
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First, decide if you should use shared drives instead of My Drive. |
In this section, you learn how to:
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Some key differences between My Drive and shared drives are:
My Drive |
Shared drives |
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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. |
For details on adding files to a shared drive, see Get started with shared drives. |
Can I sync files to my computer? |
Yes, using Drive File Stream or Backup and Sync. |
It depends on which sync solution you use:
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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 or folders in Trash remain there until the user selects Delete Forever. |
Each shared drive has its own Trash.
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Can I restore files? |
Yes, if you’re an owner of the file. |
Yes, if you have at least Contributor access. |
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.
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.