Google Shared Drives: Create, Share, and Organize

How to create a Google Shared Drive, add members, choose access levels, move files in, and restrict folder access. Files stored in a Shared Drive do not count against members' personal Google storage.

This article explains how to create a Google Shared Drive, add members, choose access levels, and keep the drive organized. A Shared Drive gives a team, project, or course a shared space in Google Drive to store and work on files together.

Instructions

What would you like to do?

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Before you begin

• Every member of a Shared Drive can see every file in it, unless a folder has limited access.
• A Shared Drive can have up to 600 members.
• The person who creates a Shared Drive is its first Manager. Consider adding a second Manager as a backup.

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Create a Shared Drive

1. On your computer, open Google Drive.
2. On the left, click Shared drives.
3. At the top left, click New.
4. Enter a name for the Shared Drive.
5. Click Create.

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Add members and choose access levels

1. In Google Drive, click Shared drives on the left and open your drive.
2. At the top, click Manage members.
3. Add names or email addresses.
4. Choose an access level from the dropdown.
5. Click Send.

Give each member the lowest access level they need:

• Manager: Everything, including adding and removing members, changing access levels, setting limited access on folders, and deleting the drive.
• Content manager: Add, edit, move, and delete files and folders.
• Contributor: Add and edit files and create folders. A good fit for most collaborators, including students adding coursework.
  • ⚠️ Contributors cannot delete or move files, including their own. A Manager or Content manager will need to remove files added by mistake.
• Commenter: View and comment on files.
• Viewer: View files only.

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Move files into a Shared Drive

• Members with Contributor access or higher can move files from their My Drive into a Shared Drive.
• Only Managers can move folders from My Drive into a Shared Drive.
• Once moved, files no longer count against the member's personal storage.

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Restrict access to a folder

1. In Google Drive, select a folder in your Shared Drive.
2. Click More, then Share.
3. In the share box, click Settings.
4. Check the Limited access to [folder name] box.

Only Managers and people added directly to the folder can open it. Only Managers can set limited access.

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Keep Shared Drives organized

• Use one drive per project, team, or course. Separate drives make it easier to give the right people the right access.
• Use clear names. For example, "[Archive] Project name" or "BIO 101 01 Fall 2026."
• Lower access when work is finished. Change members to Commenter or Viewer for archived content.
• Find files by creator. In the search box, type creator: followed by an email address, such as creator:name@maine.edu.
• Hide drives you are not using. Under Shared drives, right-click the drive and click Hide. Hiding does not change anyone's access.
• Change the theme. Managers can click the drive name, then Change theme, to add a color or image that makes the drive easier to spot.

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Additional resources

• Best practices and tips for shared drives (External Link)
• Shared drive access levels and permissions (External Link)

The IT Service Desk is available by phone, email, chat, and walk-up if additional support is needed.

Environment

• Applies to all University of Maine System (UMS) Google Workspace accounts
• Google Drive (Shared Drives)