Google Drive is super useful for storing files, but did you know you can also share files with Google Drive? Well, you can, and in this article, I’m going to show you how it’s done.
All you need is the Google email address of the person you want to share the file with, and you’ll be good to go. You can even share an entire folder with someone, and then, they will have access to all the files inside the folder.
First off, I’m going to show you how to share files from the Google Drive website on a computer, but if you want to learn how to share files from the Google Drive app on a phone or tablet, click here to skip down to where I show you how to do that.
Tip: If you don’t have the Google email address of the person you want to share the file with, you can use link sharing by following this tutorial.
Prefer to watch a video about how to share files in Google Drive? Click here.
How To Share Files In Google Drive
To share a file from the Google Drive website, the first thing you’ll need to do is go to drive.google.com, sign in with your Google account if you haven’t already, and then find the file or folder you want to share.
(If the file you want to share isn’t already on Google Drive, you’ll need to upload it first by following the steps here.)
Then, once you’ve found the file or folder you want to share, single click on it to select it.
Once the file is selected, you’ll need to click on the share icon near the top right hand corner of the screen (it looks like a person with a plus symbol).
Now, a sharing box like this will appear on the screen:
And in that box, you’ll need to type the Google email address of the person you want to share the file with.
Their Google email address is likely a Gmail address, so if you have their Gmail address that should work, but it’s also possible that they could have a non Gmail email address associated with their account, so if that’s the case, you might want to double check with them about which email address they would like you to use.
But regardless of what their email address is, once you’ve entered it into the box, there are just a few more options you’ll want to choose before you click “Send”.
Next to the person’s email address, you’ll see a drop down menu that is currently set to “Editor”. This means that the person you share the file with will be able to edit it.
If you’re just sharing a picture or video or something like that, the only real editing they will be able to do is rename the file and share it with other people, but if you’re sharing a Google Doc or something like that, they will actually be able to edit the entire document, or if you share a folder, they will be able to edit everything that’s inside the folder and even add or remove files.
This can be very useful at times, but other times you might not want that.
So if you want the person you’re sharing it with to be able to edit the file, you can just leave it set to “Editor”, but if you don’t want them to be able to edit it and only be able to view and download it, you’ll just need to click on “Editor”…
And then, in the drop down menu that appears, select “Viewer”.
Now, the person you share the file with will be able to view it, and they can download a copy of it to their computer if they want and do whatever they want on with it on their computer, but they won’t be able to make any changes to the file on your Google Drive.
Another option you might want to change is the checkbox below the email address that says “Notify people”.
If you leave this ticked, they will receive an email letting them know that you’ve shared a file with them, but if you untick it, they will not receive an email.
It’s completely up to you what you choose here, but I would recommend leaving it ticked so that they actually know you’ve shared a file with them.
The last option before you click send is to add a message. In the box that says “Message”, you can add a short message explaining to the person why you shared this file with them or perhaps something they should know about the file.
If you don’t want to add a message, you can just leave this blank, but it can be handy at times to be able to add a message.
Now that you’ve finished customizing all the different options the way you want them, all that’s left to do is click “Send”, and your file will be shared with the recipient!
How To Share Files In The Google Drive App
If you want to share files from the Google Drive app on a phone or tablet, the process is actually quite similar. The first thing you’ll need to do is open up the Google Drive app and find the file or folder you want to share.
(If the file isn’t on Google Drive, you’ll need to upload it by following these steps before you proceed.)
Once you’ve found the file or folder you want to share, you’ll need to tap on the three dots below it (the dots might be next to the file depending on how the app is laid out on your phone).
Now, a menu will appear from the bottom of the screen, and in that menu, you’ll need to tap “Share”.
Now, a sharing screen like this will appear and you’ll need to enter the Google email address of the person you want to share the file with.
Their Google email address might be a Gmail address, so if their email address is theirname@gmail.com, you’ll know that’s the one to use. But, it’s also possible that they will have a different none Gmail address associated with their Google account, so if that’s the case, you might need to ask them which address to use.
But regardless of what their Google email address is, you’ll just need to enter it into the email field.
Now, you’re almost ready to share the file, but there are a few more settings to be aware of first.
You’ll notice below their email address it says “Editor” with a little drop down arrow, this means that the person you share the file with will be able to edit it.
Of course, if it’s just a picture or video or something like that, all they’ll really be able to do is rename the file or share it with someone else, but if it’s a Google Doc or something like that, they will actually be able to edit the entire document, and if you share a folder, they will be able to edit and even add or remove any files inside the folder.
This can be really handy if you want the person you’re sharing it with to be able to make some changes, but if you don’t want them to be able to make changes and you just want them to be able to look at the file and download it to their device if they choose, you can change the setting quite easily.
Just tap on the little arrow next to “Editor”…
And then, in the menu that appears, select “Viewer”.
Now, they will be able to view the file, but they won’t be able to make any changes to it. They will still be able to download a copy of it to their device and then make changes there, but they won’t be able to make any changes to your copy of the file on Google Drive.
But regardless of whether or not you want to allow the recipient to be able to edit the file, one other thing you might want to do before you share it is type a short message. If you tap on “Add a message” near the bottom of the screen…
You can type a short message that will be added to the email they receive notifying them that you shared a file with them. You don’t have to add a message, but if you want to tell them why you shared the file or explain something about the file, this is where you can do it.
But then, once you’re ready to share the file, all you’ll have to do is tap the send icon in the bottom right hand corner (it looks like a paper airplane), and the file will be shared with your recipient!
And that’s all there is to it! Now, whether you used the website on a computer, or the app on a phone, the person you shared the file with will now be able to access it!
