In this section

Shared Drives are spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device.

Unlike files in My Drive, files in a Shared Drive belong to the team instead of an individual. Even if members leave, the files stay exactly where they are so your team can continue to share information and get work done.

Not sure whether to use My Drive or Shared Drives? Ask yourself these questions:

  • Are the files of interest to most or all members of a particular project team?
  • Do the files share a consistent theme?

If you answered "yes" to both questions, creating a new Shared Drive is a good idea. If the files are for a variety of projects, create multiple Shared Drives.

For tips on getting started with Shared Drives, please see the Google Learning Center for Shared Drives.

 

What's the difference between My Drive and Shared Drives?

My Drive is best for storing personal files or files that you want to share one-on-one. A Shared Drive is best to use with a group of collaborators who are working on the same files. Shared Drive members can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device.

For more details about sharing, see Best practices for Shared Drives.

Back to Google Workspace

Create a shared drive

""

Create shared drives.   1. Click Shared drives
  2. Click New
  3. Name your shared drive
  4. Click Create

Add members

""

Add members to shared drives.   1. Choose a shared drive
  2. Click Manage members
  3. Add names or emails
  4. Set access level
  5. Click Send

Add files or folders

""

Add items to shared drives.   1. Choose a shared drive
  2. Click New
  3. Create a new folder or upload a folder
  4. Create a new file or upload a file
  5. Double-click to open a file
     
     

Change a member's access level

""

Change member access levels.   1. Choose a shared drive
  2. Click to manage members
  3. Change member access levels or remove access