Instructions-GDrive.md

File Sharing: GDrive

Here is a sample use-case for sharing a file using best practices in Google Drive. Imagine that the year is 2020 and Mercy Corps is working with a consultant (PNW Rocks), to create materials for a major new initiative at Mercy Corps, that is code-named Big Cheese. The Big Cheese project will not be announced publicly until July 2021 so it's important to limit who has access to the file. To get started, we'll want to collaborate on next steps for the project in a file called "Big Cheese Plans."

Step 1 - Upload

Upload the file to My Drive.

Step 2 - Share

To share the file, right-click the file and then click Share.

• Only give access to those who need the file. When you share a file in My Drive, the default setting is Restricted (to persons or groups), which is the best practice. Remember, confidential, private or personally identifiable information (PII) content should always have restricted access!
• The Anyone with the link option should only be used for files that hold no confidential information, and are open to the public. If the Anyone with the link setting is used on a file with confidential private, personal or financial data, it could easily and accidentally be shared and put Mercy Corps at immediate legal risk, and make it easy for bad actors to use the information for criminal purposes.

Step 3 - Select level of access

Enter the email address for the person you want to share with, then choose the level of access. Google defaults to Editor access, which is only appropriate for team members who need full access to the document. When you are engaging stakeholders for feedback, choose Viewer or Commenter. Best practice is to notify the person, and add a message, explaining why you’ve shared the file. To notify, leave that Notify people box checked. When done with changes, click Send.

Another option is to send a separate email with a link to the file. To notify separately via email, uncheck the Notify people box. After clicking Done, right click the file and choose Get Link. In the new popup window, click the Copy link button, and then paste it into your email.

• To learn more about access levels, visit Share and collaborate in My Drive.
• If you restrict a file, and someone with access shares the link with another person, that person will not automatically have access to that content in Google Drive. Instead, they’ll see a web page with the opportunity to request access. The request for access will go to the file owner. Access requests should be reviewed, and those receiving access requests should not simply grant permission to any and all requests, without reviewing the above notes and considerations.

Step 4 - Temporary Access

Once permission has been granted, the sharing time period can be shortened. To limit access, right click the file again, and click Share. Find the email address you just shared with and right click the access level. You will see new options appear; select Give temporary access.

A calendar will appear. Navigate to the month when access should expire, and click the corresponding date.

The calendar will disappear, and the display date will change. Once you can see that access will expire on the correct date. Click Save.

Step 5 - Additional Options

If you have concerns about others taking inappropriate actions with the content, there are additional options available in the settings screen. File settings can be accessed from the gear icon in the upper right of the sharing window. Click the gear and you’ll see options to restrict further sharing, or disabling the option to download, print or copy. For any feature you want to disable, simply uncheck the box. The file will quickly update, saving the new setting.

• To learn more, visit Restrict sharing options on Drive.

Additional considerations

• Do not place confidential files inside folders that are shared widely. Shared folders permissions trickle down to each file and subfolder, so your confidential file could be accessed by anyone with permission to the parent folder! Instead, move your confidential file to a new location, outside the larger shared folder structure.
• Once a file has been shared, you may have the option to Make a Copy and/or Move the file to another location. Never move a file without the owner’s permission!
• If you need to see the file in your My Drive or in a secondary location, the best practice is to use the Add shortcut to Drive option.
• If a file copy is made, or the file is moved, be aware it will not have the same permissions as the original file unless you explicitly set those permissions.

This guide does not cover file sharing in Google’s shared drives, nor external file sharing platforms. To learn more about these, visit Google’s Best practices for shared drives or managing shared drives page. Each of these pages is available in a variety of languages: scroll to the bottom of the page to select your language.

The best way to control access to files using Drive is to create a Google group and assign permissions to those in the group. Google groups are not just for sending emails; groups are powerful and convenient tools for managing folder and file permissions. Find out more about Google Groups here.

If your project requires the use of applications outside of G Suite, encourage your team to download Google Drive for desktop. This program allows you to view any documents in My Drive or Shared drives as if they were on your laptop, even when offline, and without having to download the item or convert it to a Google format.