Keep files organized and share carefully

1. Choose Your Drive or Shared Drive

Open Drive and select Your Drive for your personal file area or Shared Drive for the workspace’s shared area. Personal files can be shared with specific members. Shared Drive has inherited workspace access, so it is intended for material suitable for that broader audience.

Use the folder path at the top of the file area to understand where you are. A read-only folder can be viewed but is not a valid destination for an upload or edit.

Suparko · Example workspace

2. Upload and organize files

Open the intended folder before uploading. Use Upload to select files or a supported folder upload, or drag files into the file area. Create a new folder when a named collection will help other people find the work.

1. 1

   Select the destination

   Confirm both the drive area and folder. A file in Shared Drive has a different audience from a personal file.

2. 2

   Watch the upload queue

   The queue shows progress and the outcome of each upload. Wait for completion; retry a failed upload after reading the error.

3. 3

   Resolve name conflicts

   If a conflict dialog appears, review its offered action and the existing file before confirming. Choose a clear filename when the two files represent different versions.

4. 4

   Add useful details

   Use the file’s details and editing actions to add a description or tags where permitted. Consistent names and folders make search more useful.

3. Preview, inspect and find a file

Select a file to inspect its details, or use Preview to open a larger view. Supported images, video, audio and document formats can have inline previews. When the file format cannot be displayed, use Download to open it in a suitable application.

Use list or grid view according to the work: list is useful for scanning names and sizes, while grid can help with visual files. Search, filters and sorting narrow the files in the current view. The Details, Activity and Sharing areas explain the file and its access.

4. Share with the intended people

Use Share on an editable file or selection. Add the intended members and choose Viewer or Editor according to what they need to do. Sharing a personal file grants access without moving it into Shared Drive.

Review inherited access before moving or copying files between Your Drive and Shared Drive. A wider destination can expose the material to more people. Copying a file link is a convenience for someone who already has access; it is not a public access grant.

1. 1

   Check the file

   Confirm the name and selected item count in the sharing dialog.

2. 2

   Choose recipients and role

   Select the people who need access and use Viewer unless editing is required.

3. 3

   Review and save

   Review the access list and inherited sharing information, then apply the change. Ask a recipient to open the link using their own account.

5. Use Trash to recover mistakes

Use Move to Trash for a file you are permitted to remove. The Trash view helps you find removed items and restore them where that action is available. Keep an eye on the destination and access when restoring or moving a file.

A file attached to a ticket or chat also depends on access to that source. Losing permission to the source can make its attachment unavailable even if you previously saw it.