With all the different options available to share, it sure becomes a tad confusing when it comes to the visibility of the files and folders. Can others view what’s in your Google Drive? If yes, can they have edit access to it? Well, that’s what we will be exploring in this post as we explore everything related to sharing and visibility on Google Drive. Let’s get started, shall we?
How Does Google Drive Work
Before we get going, let’s check how Google Drive works. Well, Google Drive is your next-door cloud-based storage solution. As noted earlier, you can store everything from normal JPG images or audio files to documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows. As long as you have logged in with the proper Google account, you can access these files from basically anywhere. Besides that, cloud storage means you can save storage on your physical device.
Visibility Options in Google Drive
As noted earlier, Google Drive lets you share your files. But the good thing is that Drive gives you the option of how you would like the files to be shared. For now, there are three options—Private, Shared, and Anyone with the link. If you haven’t shared your files and folders with anyone, no one can see that particular file or folder. You are the only person who can see that. This is the ideal setting if you have a ton of personal documents on Google Drive. Instead, you can share your file with a specific number of users through the ‘Share with people…’ option. Depending on the privilege that you have assigned them, they will view or edit the document. But in no way will they be able to see the other stuff inside your Google Drive. The same holds for the third option as well. If you share a link, only the users with the link will get hold of the file/folder. Again, the usual rules apply—you’ll have to be careful about what information you share on the document. At the same time, you will want to be a little careful about which role you assign to them. Finally, Google Apps users have the option to share their files only with people within their organization. And if you have chosen that option, people within your domain will be able to see and access the file. So, the bottom line is nobody has access to your files and folders inside your Google Drive storage unless you have granted them explicit access. But at the end of the day, how do you see the shared files folders?
Who Can Access Your Files
Unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer a straightforward solution to see who has access to all your files in one go. You will have to check the files one by one. Here, the idea is to check the most recent files. To do so, open one of the files and click on the Share option at the top-right corner. If it’s a private file, only your email ID will be present in the list. If not, you will see a list of the users with which the file is shared currently. At the same time, you can also see their privileges. All you need to do is, click on the Remove option to remove the person from the list. Or, you can also play with the privileges of the user. Again, it’s worth noting that if you grant Editor privileges to someone, they can also add others and share the file or document further. Alternatively, you can select a file from My Drive and click on the little I-icon on the top-right corner. This is a faster method and lets you have a quick overview of the current sharing status. Apart from that, you can also see when the last modification was made and by whom.
The Walls Have Eyes and Ears
So, can anyone else see what’s in your Google Drive? A clear-cut answer would be a No. Your chosen associates can only view the files and documents that are shared with them. Again, you will have to consider the sharing status of the folders as well. If a folder is shared with others, the files under it may inherit the same access. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
