
You should avoid using link-based sharing at all costs. The email will contain a link with direct access to the shared Google Drive file. Next, ask the other person to check their inbox. The person you share the file with will instantly receive an email stating File shared with you.

You can choose from Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.Ĭhoose the correct permission setting, make sure the Notify people box is checked, and input a message if you’d like. This box gives you the option of changing the collaborator’s permissions. There will be a smaller box on the right-hand side of the email address box. Then, click Share on the Google Drive file and input their email address.īut before your press Send, it’s essential to input the correct permissions. When it’s time to share a Google Drive file with someone, ask them for an email address where you can send the invitation. You can either use invite-based sharing or link-based sharing. Step 1: Use Invite-Based SharingĪs you learned earlier, there are two ways to share files on Google Drive.
ACCESS SHARED GOOGLE DRIVE HOW TO
Let’s discuss a step-by-step process on how to securely share Google Drive links. Steps To Take When Sharing A Google Drive Link On the other hand, your Google Drive link is relatively secure if you send a sharing invite using an email invitation. For example, if you accidentally upload the shared link to a public forum, anybody would be able to access your Google Drive file. However, they can only view the link if you or the person you share the link with leaks the URL. For example, if you create a shareable link that anyone can view, there’s a chance of unwanted people viewing the link. The only data at risk is the information included in the Google Drive link. Sharing a Google Drive link doesn’t put your Google account or personal information at risk. If you already have a Google Group created, you won’t have to enter the individual email address of each recipient. You can also send invites to Google Groups to quickly share your Google Drive file with a large number of individuals. For this reason, other people won’t be able to access the document even if they have the link. This method is more secure than link-based sharing because collaborators must authenticate themselves with a Google sign-in to access the file. The second Google Drive sharing option is invite-based sharing. As such, the link may fall into the wrong hands and expose the information contained in the file.įor this reason, it’s safer to use invite-based sharing. However, link-based sharing is potentially unsafe because anyone with the link will be able to access the Google Drive file. Furthermore, Editor allows the person with shared access to edit and make changes to the file. Commenter allows the other person to leave comments on the file. They won’t be able to make any changes to the file. If you select Viewer, the person you share the document with can only view the file. These options indicate what the person you share the file with is allowed to do to the file. Once you copy the link to your clipboard, you can quickly paste and send it to people you want to share the Google Drive file with.Īdditionally, Google Drive gives you three different permission options. When you click Share and select Get link, you can then press Copy link. However, it also poses the most risk if misused. Link-based sharing is the quickest way to share Google Drive files with others.

Let’s take a closer look into both sharing methods. For example, you can either add people based on their email addresses or create a shareable link to send to others. When you click Share on a Google Drive file, a menu appears that lets you choose which sharing method you want to use. This method allows you to share Google Drive links to specific individuals through their email addresses. The second option is invite-based sharing. The first option is link-based sharing, which allows anybody with the link to view and access your Google Drive file. There are two ways to share links on Google Drive. How to make your Google Drive more secure Mistakes people make when sharing a Google Drive link Steps to take when sharing a Google Drive link Because of this, it’s important to learn how Google Drive sharing works and how you can better protect your links. Sharing anything online comes with inherent risk based on how the internet works and the presence of cybercriminals. However, the safety of your Google Drive link falls into the hands of the other person. As long as you share your Google Drive links through an email invitation rather than a shareable link, your Google Drive files are safe. Google Drive offers several sharing methods, some providing more security than others. In just a few clicks, you can quickly send a Google Drive link to your friend or colleague.īut is it safe to share Google Drive links? Google Drive offers conveniently accessible sharing and collaborative features.
