If you’re familiar with Google workspace, Shared Drives could be useful to you.
A Shared Drive is a cloud-based space service where you can store, search, and access files from any device anywhere.
However, Shared Drives and My Drive are not the same. The major difference is that files present on a shared drive belong to everyone (team) rather than an individual.
Moreover, it is convenient for faculty members, staff members, and students who frequently collaborate on projects.
Here in this guide, I will discuss how to create a shared drive in google drive to make it easier for your team to work together.
Using a shared drive is a great way to collaborate with your co-workers on relevant projects and presentations.
The files and documents you have in your storage can be easily accessed over a shared drive with team members working on a common project. By doing so, you can distribute responsibilities in an organized manner.
As I mentioned before, this shared drive is part of a group, so even if one member leaves, all the files will still be available for other members to work on.
Before you setup a shared drive, you have to get started with a Google Workspace account.
Once you have made your account, you may follow the steps to create a shared drive.
Step 1:First, open Google Drive.
Step 2: From the top left corner, click on Shared Drives.
Step 3: Now, select the + New option.
Step 4: A dialog box will appear; enter the name for the new shared drive and create
Step 1: To add members, right-click on the created Shared Drive and select Manage Members.
Step 2: Now, you have to enter the name or email addresses of the users to whom you want to add.
Tip: If you want to add members in bulk, I advise you to go with a Google Group.
Step 3: By default, the new members are set to Content Manager. However, you can change the permissions.
Here are the different google shared drive permissions you can set as per your requirements:
Viewer: This means they have access to all within that shared drive, but they can’t change any permissions.
Commentator: Users can comment and view the files.
Contributor: It means that they can add their own files and edit them.
Content Manager: A content manager can add, edit, move and delete files.
Manager: Finally, a manager can change all the settings and also add people and remove them.
If you are the shared drive manager, you can remove the members easily by following the steps below.
Step 1: On your left side, click on the Shared Drive.
Step 2: Now, next to your shared drive name, you will see a triangle-shaped drop-down menu.
Step 3: Click on the menu and select the option Manage Members.
Step 4: To remove a member, simply click on his/her name, click the Down arrow, and select Remove.
Note: Removing someone from a shared drive does not mean that they have no access to files shared in other ways, for example, files shared through a link or by a group with everyone in the organization.
After adding the members to your shared drive, add the files and folders that you wish to share with your team.
Step 1: Open your shared drive.
Step 2: To add a folder, click on the + icon and select the Folder option from the menu. Or, you can also upload a folder by clicking +icon and selecting Folder Upload. Or, you can also drag and drop the folder from your computer.
Note: The above step applies to uploading a file instead of a folder.
Step 3:You can also create a file or a folder within the root folder. Select the + icon, and from there, you can add files such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Are you interested in sharing a Google Drive folder with someone? See this article.
To ensure that your team does not face any trouble, you must maintain and structure your crucial files and folders correctly.
Here are some of the tips that will help you manage your files and folders on shared drives.
Flag Important Files and Folders
It is my favorite way to remember my files and folders available on the drive. To mark it, follow the steps:
Step 1:Simply right-click on a file or a folder and select the option Add to Starred.
Step 2:On your left side, click on Starred in case you want to check all your starred files and folders in one place.
When your shared drive becomes crowded, you may sometimes find yourself unable to find your important files and folders. In this case, the search option will save you from wasting time.
Follow the quick steps:
Step 1: To search, do the right-click on the shared drive and select the search within option.
Step 2: In the search box, type your desired file name and then press the enter key.
The process of moving files from My Drive to a Shared Drive is pretty simple, regardless of whether it’s on a different drive location or your computer.
You just have to drag the files and drop them on the shared drive but remember, this will only happen if you’re the owner.
Note: If you are not the file owner, then you must have edit access to move files from the owner, or you can ask him to move the desired file.
Also, if you want to move the files between the shared drives, then you need Manager access level permission, and at the same time, Contributor permission to the destination drive.
You can even move files or folders from Shared drives to My drive. If you are going to do this, you need access permissions at the Manager level on the shared drive and Editor level on My Drive.
To delete the files from the shared drive, you must be at least a content manager. You will not be able to delete any files on the shared drive without content manager access.
Follow the steps to delete any file:
Step 1: Select the file you want to delete.
Step 2: Now, click on the trash icon on the top or right-click on the file and select the option remove.
Step 3: A confirmation dialog box will appear. Click on Move to Bin.
Once you perform the above steps, your file will be in the shared drive trash folder, and it will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
Lastly, you can permanently remove the file by right-clicking it and choosing delete forever in the trash folder. However, to permanently delete, you need manager-level access.
Now, to restore a file from the shared drive, you need to have at least contributor access. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Click on the Shared Drives in your left side menu.
Step 2: Next, click on the down arrow located next to the Shared Drive name.
Step 3: Select the option View Bin from there.
Step 4: Here, you will see all the files which were deleted earlier. Thus, to restore a file, right-click the selected file and then select restore.
Note: Please note that you can only restore files from the past 30 days. Files are deleted forever after this deadline has passed.
After you have organized your files and folders, this is the last thing you should do, which is to share and collaborate with the right people.
Sharing with the right users will increase your productivity, and you can look forward to your team going in the right direction.
Sharing Files and Folders
You can share files and folders if you have the proper permission level. Sharing a file will require you to have at least contributor access and manager access in the case of a folder.
If you have these permissions, you’re good to go. Currently, sharing files and folders can be accomplished in two ways: either to individual users or groups or by sharing a link.
Do read the article How to share a folder on Google Drive.
To Individuals or Groups
Step 1: Select the file or a folder you want to share. Or, you can select multiple files or folders by holding the shift button.
Step 2: Choose the Share icon from the top. Or, you can also share by right-clicking and selecting the Share option.
Step 3: A pop-up window named Share with people and groups will appear where you have to write the user’s email address. In addition, be sure to select the edit permissions, which I explained earlier.
Tip: You can also leave a message and notify people.
Step 4: Finally, hit the Send button.
By Sharing a Link
It’s useful when you don’t want to handle access management and want to target various users. So, by sharing a link directly, the users can access files and folders.
Tip: Moreover, you can allow users to share the link with more people.
Step 1:Click on the file or folder you want to share. For multi-file selection, hold down the shift key.
Step 2: Next, click the share icon.
Step 3:Even here also you can set the permissions for your files and folders. Furthermore, if you wish to share a link outside your team, don’t forget to make it public. To do so, click on the down arrow next to the organization name, then select public.
Step 4: You’re now ready to copy the link and click done.
Step 5: Share the link through email, messages, or websites, etc.
FAQs
Can anyone create a shared drive?
Anyone can create a shared drive, but you have to register with Google Workspace.
Is Google Shared Drive Free?
No, it is free of cost. You can avail yourself of a 14-day free trial, but after that, you have to pay as per the plans. The primary business plan starts from 12$/month.
How to add files to a shared google drive folder?
To add files in a folder, you can drag and drop the files you want from your computer.
Final Words
By utilizing Shared Drives from Google Workspace, you can increase the level of work productivity and allow your team members to work remotely. In addition to My Drive, it is an excellent substitute and offers many useful features.
I hope I have provided you with more information than just how to create a shared drive in Google Drive. If you have any questions regarding the article, you are welcome to leave a comment below. Also, you can share your experience with a shared drive.