Google Docs / Getting Started with Google Docs
Share documents
When you create a Google document, or import a document into My Drive, only you will be able to access the document. You can share a document with everyone in your organisation, or with specific people only. Alternatively, you can remove all restrictions to the document, allowing anyone on the Internet to access it. You can revoke sharing permissions at any time so that only you can access the document again.
Share a document
To share a document:
Click on the Share button near the top-right corner of the screen
To share the document with specific people only, click in the Add people and groups box and enter the name or email address of each person you want to share the file with, separating each email address with a comma
Choose whether all people added will be able to edit or to view the document
An email notification of the share will be sent, providing the invitees with a link to access the document - you can type an optional message in the Message box
Click on Send
If you have sent an email notification, the invitee will receive a message in their Inbox, which will contain a link to the shared document.
Sharing links
By default, only people you specifically add to Share dialog box will be able to view or edit the document.
If you want everyone in the organisation to be able to edit or view the document :
Click on the Share button
Click on the Change link along the bottom of the dialog box to change the general access to the document
Choose who you would like to be able to access the document i.e. everyone at your organisation or anyone with the link
Click on Done
If you set the document to be accessible to anyone with the link, you will see when another person opens your document, but they will show as anonymous.
In the following screenshot, three people are accessing the document - two without signing in, and one from your organisation.
Note that you can only see the photo and name of both internal and external users that have been specifically named in the Share dialog box. For external users, you will only see their details if they have a Google account.
Set an expiration date for a shared document
When you share a document with colleagues, you can now set an expiration date for the share. If your colleague attempts to access the document after the expiration date, their access will be denied. Note that you can only set an expiration date for colleagues that you give view or comment access to in a document. If you allow colleagues to edit your documents, you will not be able to set an expiration date.
Once the person has permission to view or comment on your document, you can set the expiration date as follows:
Click on the Share button to view the sharing settings
In the list of people that have access to the document, click on the permission next to the perso you wish to change
Choose Give temporary access
Click on the Access expires box
Choose a date for the access to expire
Click on Save
To cancel an expiration date, click on the Share button, then on the Remove expiry link next to the person you wish to allow to continue accessing the document.
Disable downloading, printing and copying
When you share a Google document, the people you share the document with will be able to print, download and make a copy of that document, even if they are only given viewing rights to the file. Changes to Information Rights Management in Google Workspace now allow you to restrict these actions on a shared document, meaning that colleagues with view-only access to your document will not be able to make copies onto their own Drive, print the document or download a local copy.
To restrict the access on a shared document:
Click on the Share button near the top-right corner of the screen
Click on the Settings cog near the top-right corner of the Share dialog box
Choose whether editors can change permissions and share the document with others
Choose whether viewers and commentors can download, print and copy the document
Click on Back to return to the Share dialog box
Click on Done
Change the owner of a document
There may be times you need to change the owner of a document - if a member of the team leaves the project, or roles change and you wish someone else to take main responsibility for a document.
To assign someone else ownership of a document that you created:
Click on the Share button near the top-right corner of the screen
Click on the drop-down arrow on the current access status of the person you wish to make the owner of the document
Choose Make owner
Click on Yes to confirm that you want to change the owner of the document
Click on Done
Once you assign someone else as the owner, you will be given Edit access to the document. If you no longer need to access the document, click on the X next to your name in the Share window to remove your name from the access list.