How to Share Folder in Google Drive ?

Google Drive is one of the most used cloud storage. Nearly every person has a Google Drive account and use it for backing up photos and videos. Google Drive allow sharing of files and folder in two different ways, either by sharing it to other Google Accounts or sharing it via link if you want to share it externally to non Google users.

Google Drive provides almost all file organization features. You can organize files into folders, move, delete, rename, or share them with others. This article will focus on sharing a folder in Google Drive with other Google Users. It is easy and can be done within minutes, you just need to follow the below steps to successfully share a folder with other Google Drive users.

Steps to share Folder in Google Drive

Login to your Google Drive account.
Browse the folder you want to share with other users.
Right-Click on the folder, or click on the three dots in the top right corner.
In the context menu opened, tap on share option to open advance sharing options
In Share popup window, type the email IDs of users whom you want to share this folder.
Alongside of the email ID input box, you will see a selection input to change the access permission level as Viewer, Commentor, or Editor.
Select the appropriate access level, this access level will be applied to all the email IDs you have added to the list.
Finally, you can add a note about the folder you are sharing to them. This will let them understand the purpose of sharing.
With a suitable message in its place, hit on Send button to share selected folder to all users in email ID list simultaneously
Other Google Drive users will be notified that you have shared a folder with them.

Make sure you chose the permission level of your folder properly, if you give editor level access to an unknown person, they will be able to delete your important files. Secondly, you can remove any user anytime from sharing members if you just want to give him temporary access.

How to share folder in Google Drive Android App?

Sharing folder in Google Drive Android app is pretty similar to web version with a slight layout change. For getting started, download and install Google Drive app from Play store if not already installed. Once done, follow the steps below to share folder in Google Drive Android App:

Steps to share folder in Google Drive Android App:

Open Google Drive android app.
Browse the folder you want to share with other Google users.
Tap on the three dots adjacent to your folder icon.
A bottom panel will open with a bunch of options. Tap on Share to open sharing option.
In the next step, you need to add the email ID of all the users you want to share the folder.
You can change the access level from bottom drop down selection box to Viewer, Editor, or Commentor.
Add a note if you like, and tap on the airplane icon to share the folder to your entered email list.
All the shared users will be notified with an email for the shared folder.

As you can see, the method of sharing folder in Android and Web version is almost the same, and you can follow any set of steps mentioned to share folder in Google Drive. Next we are going to see how to share a folder in Google Drive via link.

How to Share Folder in Google Drive via Link?

In case you don't know the email ID of the person whom you want to share the folder or if you want to share Google Drive folder to any other than this method will work for you. Sharing folder in Google Drive via link make it easier for people to access the folder in browser without any need to install Google Drive app. They can download or view the file depending upon the permission set by you.

To generate a sharable link of your folder in Google Drive, just follow the below steps:

Steps to share folder in Google Drive via Link:

Open Google Drive app or go to drive.google.com
Browse to the folder you want to share as a link.
Tap on the three dots near the folder icon to open the context menu.
If you are on Google Drive app, select copy link from the menu to get the sharable link of folder.
If you are using web version, then select Get sharable link from the context menu.
Your sharable link will be copied with the default permission of a Viewer. You can now send this link to anyone, anywhere.

By default, all folders will be shared as restricted access, that means the user can only view the contents of the folder. Viewer cannot edit or delete files in your folder. You can also change the access permission, but this should be done before generating the link.

Wrapping Up

Folder make it easier to share multiple files or sub folders together as a bundle with anyone. It also helps in organizing your files in Google Drive. We hope with this article, you will be able to share any folder in Google Drive with other Google user or via link. Always be careful about the access permission of folder and keep sharing.

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