Google Drive guide
Daniel Okonkwo writes about phones and mobile apps for Appcyclopedia, working on a MacBook Pro, a Pixel 9 Pro and an iPhone 15.
- Web
Short answer
In Google Drive, right-click the folder and choose Share, or select it and click the Share icon. Type the email addresses of the people you want, choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor, and click Send. To share by link instead, change General access to Anyone with the link and click Copy link.
Sharing a folder shares everything in it: every file and subfolder, including ones you add later, gets the same access.
Below: the steps, what each role can do, and when a link is safer than naming people.
Share a Drive folder in a few clicks
To share a folder in Google Drive, open its sharing box and decide two things: who gets in, and what they can do. The steps below cover named people first, then a link.
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Share with named people
Open the folder’s Share box
Go to drive.google.com, find the folder, and right-click it, then choose Share. Or select the folder and click the Share icon at the top. A sharing box opens.
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Add the people
Type an email address or a Google Group in the box at the top. Gmail addresses work best; people without a Google Account may be asked to verify their email before they can open the folder.
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Choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor
Use the list next to the names to pick a role. Viewer can open files, Commenter can also leave comments and suggestions, and Editor can change, add, move and delete files.
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Decide whether to notify them, then click Send
Leave Notify people ticked to send them an email with the link, and add a short message if you like. Click Send. The folder appears under Shared with me in their Drive.
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Or share with a link
Change General access and copy the link
In the same box, under General access, change Restricted to Anyone with the link and choose the role link users get. Click Copy link and paste it wherever you need it. Anyone who has the link can open the folder.
A family photo folder is a good example: grandparents as Viewer, a sibling who adds photos as Editor, and no public link, because the photos are private.
Give each person the lowest role that lets them do the job; you can always raise it later.
More about Google Drive
Google’s file storage, with Docs, Sheets and Slides built in.
Sharing problems, and the fix for each
- Someone sees “You need access”
They are signed in with a different Google Account from the one you shared with, or the folder is still Restricted. Add the address they are using, or switch general access to Anyone with the link.
- You want one file in the folder to stay private
A file cannot have less access than the folder it sits in. Move it into a separate folder that is not shared.
- An editor deleted files
Editors can delete. Check the folder’s activity, restore from the Bin if you own the files, and change that person to Viewer or Commenter.
What each role can do
The role decides what people can do inside the folder, and it applies to every file in it.
| Role | Open and download | Comment | Add, edit, move, delete |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer | Yes | No | No |
| Commenter | Yes | Yes | No |
| Editor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Editor is the role to be careful with. On a folder, it lets someone delete or move every file in it, not just edit one document.
Named people or a link?
Both open the same folder. They differ in who else can get in.
- Named people: only those addresses can open it. Forwarding the link to someone else does nothing for them.
- Anyone with the link: whoever has the link can open it. If it is forwarded or posted somewhere, so is the folder.
Use named people for anything private, and a link only for files you would not mind a stranger seeing.
Sharing passes down to everything inside
Sharing a folder is not the same as sharing its files one by one. The folder’s settings flow down to every file and subfolder in it, and to anything you put there later.
That makes folders the easy way to share a project. It also means a file dropped into the wrong folder is shared without anyone deciding to share it. Before adding a file to a shared folder, check who the folder is shared with.
The folder is shared
Sharing takes a minute. The care goes into the role and the choice between people and a link.
Share with named people, start at Viewer, and keep private files out of shared folders. If the files are not in Drive yet, the upload guide covers each way to get them there.
Sharing Drive folders, common questions
- Do files I add later get shared too?
- Yes. Files and subfolders inside a shared folder take its sharing settings, including ones you add after sharing it.
- Can I share a Google Drive folder with someone who does not use Gmail?
- Yes. Type their email address. They may need to verify it, or create a Google Account with that address, before they can open the folder.
- How do I stop sharing a folder?
- Open the Share box again, change each person’s role to Remove access, and set General access back to Restricted. Anyone who already downloaded files keeps those copies.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Marta Kowalczyk Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 15 days ago
When you need this
To give several people the same documents or photos without emailing each one, share a Google Drive folder with them. Everyone sees the same files, and new ones you add appear for them too.
- Describes
- Google Drive in a desktop browser · Personal Google Accounts
- Takes
- One or two minutes
- Platforms
- Web
- Published
- 10 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 7 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Marta Kowalczyk
on
- Marta Kowalczyk: the web steps on a MacBook Air (macOS 27.0.1).
Part of How to share files and invite people .
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