Google Drive is one of the most popular cloud storage services and is widely used by individuals and businesses. It's an integral part of Google Workspace, offering 15GB of free cloud storage for storing various types of files, including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as PDFs, pictures, videos, and more. It's like your personal workspace, except it's on the web, and you can access your files from any device with an internet connection.

One of the standout features of Google Drive is the ability to transform its workspace into a collaborative hub by sharing files, folders, and drives with others. This is useful for working on team projects, sending your coworker the quarterly earnings report from your laptop, or sharing summer vacation photos taken on one of Samsung's top smartphones. This guide will help you through the process of sharing files and collaborating with others using Google Drive.

Share Google Drive files by sending invitations

Google Drive lets you collaborate with people by inviting them to work on the same file or folder. Here's how.

Share a single file or folder using the web app

  1. Go to Google Drive and log in with your Google account.
  2. Navigate to the file or folder you wish to share.
  3. Right-click and select Share, then select Share from the submenu.
    Right click and access the share option.
  4. Type or paste the email address of the person you're granting file access to in the Add people and groups box. You can add multiple emails if there is more than one collaborator.
  5. After selecting the email addresses, access the drop-down menu from the box next to the addresses to change their access status. You can choose between viewer, commenter, or editor.
  6. You'll see a blue check next to Notify people under your selected addresses. Keep this on to notify your receivers about the portfolio or file share, and write them a message telling them what the file is about in the box below.
    Add the recipients and decide on their level of access before sending the file.
  7. Click the Send button in the lower-right corner of the dialog box. Your file or folder is shared with the emails alongside an email notification.

If the file is a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide and is open, select the Share button in the upper-right corner of the screen. For PDFs, videos, and images, tap the three-dot icon followed by the Share button.

Share multiple files and folders simultaneously with the Google Drive web app

Instead of one file, you can share several files at a time. Here's how.

  1. Select the files or folders by holding the Shift key while clicking with your mouse.
  2. Release the Shift key and right click one of the selected items to access a list of options.
  3. Hover your mouse over Share, then click Share from the submenu.
  4. Add the collaborators' emails in the Add people and groups box and select their level of access before clicking Send to share the files.
    Share multiple folders with people at once.

Share a file or folder using the Google Drive mobile app for Android and iOS

Like the web software, the Google Drive mobile app can share files. Here's how it works.

  1. Launch the Google Drive app on your phone.
  2. Locate the file or folder you wish to share.
  3. Tap the three-dot icon to open the Options menu and tap Share. If the file is open, use the Share button (an avatar with a plus sign) on the title bar.
    Select the 3-buttion icon in the upper right corner to access the options menu.
    Select share to share your files through the mobile Drive app.
  4. Enter the email addresses in the Add people or groups box.
  5. Configure their permissions.
  6. Tap the Send button in the lower-right corner of the screen.
    Add your recipients, then choose their access level.
    Click the share button in the upper right corner to share the file.

Unlike the web app, you can't select and share multiple files simultaneously on mobile.

If you want a more elaborate file-sharing method, Google Drive offers links that can be copied and sent to other platforms. Users can click the link to see, comment on, or modify the content based on the permission settings. Here's how to use it.

Share a file or folder using the web app

Sharing files by links isn't much different from adding collaborators via email. To do this:

  1. Right click the file or folder you wish to share.
  2. Hover over Share, click Share in the submenu, then go to the General access section. Alternatively, use the blue Share button in the upper-right corner if the file is an open Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide.
  3. In the General access section, click the Restricted button to open a drop-down menu. Select Anyone with the link from the options and edit the access permissions on the right.
    Select anyone with the link from the general access menu.
  4. Click Copy link in the lower-left corner of the dialog box. The file URL is saved to your clipboard.
    Select copy link under general access to copy the sharable URL link.
  5. Share the link with anyone on any platform.
  1. Select all the items you wish to share.
  2. Right click to open the Options dialog.
  3. Hover over Share, then click Share.
  4. Configure the permission settings for the selected files using the General access option. Alternatively, specify permissions for individual files by going through each file and assigning access and viewership.
    Select your files and click Anyone with the link under General access to send multiple files via link.
  5. Click Copy links in the lower-left corner of the box. The links are copied to your clipboard and can be sent to anyone in bulk.

Anyone on the internet can access the file or folder if they get their hands on your links. Make sure you don't share any private information.

Share a file or folder using the mobile app

  1. Open the Google Drive app and locate the file or folder you want to share.
  2. Tap the three-dot icon to open the Options menu.
  3. Tap Copy link. This saves the file URL to your clipboard. You still need to update the permissions.
    Select the file that you want to share from your mobile device.
    Select copy link to begin the link sharing process.
  4. Tap the three-dot icon next to your file name and select Manage access.
  5. Under General access, click Restricted. Click it again on the next screen, then click Anyone with the link.
  6. Choose Anyone with the link. Afterward, go back one page and click Viewer to open the selection menu. Click Viewer, Commenter, or Editor to adjust the level of viewing access.
    After selecting manage access, go to general access and click on restricted.
    Change the link access from restricted to anyone with the link.
    Switch between the access levels of viewer, commenter, and editor for your file.

You can now share your copied link with other reviewers.

To make the process faster, go to the Manage access option and change the permissions before copying the link using any of the link buttons beside General access.

Share an entire Google Drive

By default, Google Drive only allows you to share a few files or folders simultaneously, whether you're adding collaborators or copying file links. But what if you want to share your entire Google Drive with someone? You have two options: one is great, and the other is not so great. Let's start with the not-as-great option.

Download and upload method

With this method, you download files from one drive and upload them to another. This has several limitations, which we'll address shortly. But if you don't mind them, use this method to share an entire drive. Here's how it works:

  1. Log in to the old Google Drive account.
  2. Create a new folder in My Drive.
  3. Select all the items using Ctrl+A.
  4. Copy the items using Ctrl+C and paste them into the folder with Ctrl+V.
  5. Right click the new folder.
  6. Select Download from the options and wait until the process finishes.
    Select all of your files and click download.
  7. Open the new account and go to My Drive.
  8. Click New and select Folder upload.
    Click on folder upload in your new acount to download your files to it.
  9. Choose the folder from your file manager. It uploads to the new drive.

The upload and download process only makes sense for moving items from an old drive or account you wish to deprecate to a new one.

There are many downsides to this process. First, it consumes data (anywhere from a few megabytes to gigabytes) depending on the number of files. You'll also have to wait for downloads and uploads. But those aren't the main issues.

On the technical side, the files are added to the drive as new uploads. You'll lose collaborators, document histories, comments, and other information stored in the file. Also, if you've been added as a collaborator to a file, you can't access it until the owner adds your new email.

Shared drives

A shared drive is the better way to go and is perfect if your goal is to create a drive that belongs to a team instead of one individual. It's a collaborative space where teams can store and access files from any place and at any time. Each shared drive can contain up to 600 people when added individually. However, the number can go up to 50,000 when 100 groups are added, each containing 500 people. When a group is added to a shared drive, all future members of the group automatically have access to it.

Shared drives are only accessible to Google Workspace accounts, so overall control is with the administrators. Admins can give members access levels that determine how much they can modify the shared drive files. For example, members with Viewer and Commentator access can view and comment on files, respectively, while contributors can add and edit them. Meanwhile, content managers can move files to the Trash without deleting them permanently, while members with Manager access can permanently delete files from the Trash. To learn more about shared drives, check out Google's guide.

Take collaboration to a new level

Google Drive is a versatile and convenient tool for storing files in the cloud. However, the best part about the tool is its seamless cloud integration and web synchronization that allows people worldwide to work together without hiccups. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can improve collaboration with colleagues and take your productivity through the roof.

If you're new to Google Drive and want to learn its ins and outs, check out our Google Drive beginner's guide.