Share
Share an Item with people or groups, choose who can open it, share a whole folder, and find Items others shared with you.
This page helps you share an Item so others can open or edit it, as you decide.
Share with people or groups
- Right-click the Item and choose Share. The Item sharing window opens.
- Click Add users and groups.
- Type a name in Search users and groups and press Enter.
- Click to choose people or groups. You can choose several names.
- If you do not want them to be Readers, click the As Reader button at the bottom and choose another access level. See Access levels.
- Click Add.
- Click Apply.
The sharing does not change until you click Apply. You need the Item organizer access level or higher to share.
Choose who can open it
Click the Share as button at the top left of the window, then choose
| Choose | Who can open it |
|---|---|
| Private | The owner, and the people or groups on the list |
| Internal | Everyone who is signed in can open it, as a Reader |
| Public | Same as Internal, and apps that use an API key can also read this Item. If an administrator turns on Public access, everyone can read it, including people who are not signed in, through the Portal or the API. Drive itself still needs a sign-in. |
The text beside the Copy link button tells you which meaning your platform uses. If an Item should be seen only by people in your organisation, choose Internal.
Access levels
| Level | What it can do |
|---|---|
| Owner | Everything |
| Organizer | Everything an Item organizer can do, and can also move, delete to the trash and restore |
| Item organizer | Everything a Writer can do, and can also rename, write a description, share, make a copy, import data and edit in the app of the Item |
| Writer | Everything a Reader can do, and can also add files or Items to a folder and upload a new version of a file |
| Commenter | Same as a Reader |
| Reader | Open, preview, download, see details and copy the link |
You can give others access no higher than your own level. If you share with a group and choose Inherit, each member gets the access of their role in the group.
Change access or remove someone
- In the Item sharing window, click the access level button beside the name.
- Choose a new level, or choose Remove to take that person out.
- Click Apply.
Share everything in a folder
Items created new in a folder get the same sharing as the folder. But if you change the sharing of the folder later, Items already inside do not change with it.
If you want everything inside to change too, tick Recursively apply before you click Apply. The existing sharing of the Items inside is replaced completely. You need the Organizer access level or higher.
Copy the link from the sharing window
Click Copy link at the bottom of the Item sharing window. The text beside the button tells who can open the link, as chosen in Share as. See Copy the link of an Item.
Items others shared with you
Click Shared with me in the menu on the left. You see Items others shared with you or your groups, and also Items set to Internal or Public. The Owner column tells who owns each one.
If someone shares a folder with you, you see only the folder itself. Double-click to see what is inside. To add files to that folder, you need the Writer access level or higher.