Directions - Google Drive - Google File Access Permission

There are restrictions and different levels of accessibility you can assign to other people when you share a Google document.

Step 1

Open the share settings for the document you wish to share. You can access the share settings using the More menu (three vertical dots) next to the file's name in your Google Drive or from the menu at the top right when you are within the document. You can also change the share settings of a folder in your Google Drive and then any file placed in that folder will adopt the share settings of the folder.

Step 2

You can select the 'Copy link' button at the bottom left of the window that opens at anytime you are satisfied with how you have your document shared. This will give you a link you can email or post anywhere for others to access.

Step 3

Under 'General access', click the Down arrow. Selecting Restricted will only allow access to specific people you list in the next step. Selecting Baldwin-Woodville Area School District will only give access to anyone with a district account, including students but not through a personal Google Account. Selecting 'Anyone with the link' will make it accessible to any account in the world.

Step 4

In the box labeled 'Add people, groups, and calendar events' you can type in the name or email address for each individual you would like to assign specific access permissions. As you type the person will likely show in the list below allowing you to select them instead of typing out their full name.

Step 5

As you add people you will see they are listed with their level of access shows to the right of their names.

Step 6

Select the down arrow next to a person's name. Select 'Viewer' if you would like the person to see, but not edit, your document. Select 'Commenter' if you would like the person to be able to add in notes and suggestions that the Editors can review before accepting. Select 'Editor' to give the person full rights to change the document. Note that within the document you can review the editing history to see which account made each edit with a document.

Step 7

Select 'Add expiration' if you would like to set a date to automatically remove the viewing rights you are assigning.

Step 8

Check the box next to notify people to send a message telling the editors they have access to this document. Include a message of your own if you would like it to be more than the basic Google default notification. Note: This feature has been malfunctioning so notifications are not actually sent. Until you know it is operational you should copy a link to the document and paste it into an email to notify others it has been shared.

Step 6

Consider selecting the gear icon at the top right of the share settings to check or uncheck options to restrict editors from sharing or changing share permissions. You can also restrict the ability to download, print, and copy the document.

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