Google Shared Drives offers the ability to create and share files directly in the Shared Drive or create shortcut links to files stored in other Google Drive locations. The distinction between where these files are stored is important to recognize when it comes to storage. 

Files created and saved directly in a Google shared drive consume the storage allotted to the shared drive. Files linked in the shared drive via a shortcut to a document elsewhere consume storage of the account where that file is located. For example, if a staff member creates a file in their individual Google account (i.e. they’ve saved it in their “My Drive” folder), the file consumes the individual’s storage. If that individual creates a shortcut link in the shared drive to the file, the file will still be consuming their individual storage. If, however, the individual had created and saved the file in the shared drive directly, the file would then be consuming the storage allotted to the shared drive account. 

Google indicates which files are stored directly in a shared drive folder vs. files that are linked via a shortcut. 

Example of files stored in a shared drive vs a shortcut link:

Individual files can be moved to a shared drive so that the shared drive becomes the owner of the file. Please note that moving files to a shared drive will consume shared drive storage space.

1. Right -click on the file name
2. Select Move to
3. Select shared drives and choose the shared drive folder you want to move the file to
4. Select move here once you’ve selected the folder location you want to move the file to

Only Managers of shared drives are able to move files and folders out of the shared drive to My Drive or another shared drive. 

Move files to another shared drive
To move files from one shared drive to another, you need Contributor, Content manager, or Manager access in the destination shared drive. To move folders from one shared drive to another, you need Manager access in the destination shared drive.

1. Right -click on the file name
2. Select Move to  
3. Click the arrow (back) button to see list of shared drives
4. Select shared drive destination
5. Click Move Here

Move files to My Drive
Just like moving files into shared drives, access privileges on files and folders are reassessed when they’re moved out of a shared drive. If a file or folder is moved out of a shared drive to My Drive within the same organization:

• The shared drive’s sharing settings no longer apply and the file’s original sharing settings take effect. Some users might gain or lose access. For example, you have a file in the Sales team shared drive, and all members of the Sales team have Viewer access to the shared drive and the file. The document was also directly shared with five Sales team members to give them Editor access. If the file is moved out of the Sales team shared drive, most of the Sales team loses their access, but the five people it was directly shared with still have Editor access.
• File-level restrictions stay in place unless specifically changed or removed from the file. For example, if a file owner sets their file to prevent downloading, copying, and printing, it stays like that after it's moved out of a shared drive, even if those actions are allowed by the new location.

1. Right -click on the file name
2. Select Move to  
3. Click the arrow (back) button twice to see list of Google Drive locations
4. Select the My Drive destination
5. Click Move Here

As an alternative to moving files to a shared drive, members of a shared drive also have the ability to create shortcut links to documents outside of the shared drive. Please note that shortcut links in a shared drive do not consume space in the shared drive. Instead, these files consume the storage of the account where that file is located. This also means that if the account where the file is stored belongs to an individual that is leaving or is no longer at the university, the file will be deleted and will no longer be accessible to the shared drive. 

1. Right -click on the file name
2. Select Add shortcut to drive
3. Select shared drives and choose the shared drive folder you want to add the file’s shortcut to
4. Select Add Shortcut once you’ve selected the folder location you want to add the shortcut to

Just like in My Drive, you can remove someone’s access to a file or folder in a shared drive that’s directly shared with them. For details, go to Unshare files or folders [links to Google support]. However, all members of the shared drive can still at least view the file or folder. To remove access for shared drive members, you need to move the file or folder out of the shared drive, which requires Manager access.

• All members of a shared drive can view all files and folders in the shared drive.
• Members may have more permissions, such as comment or edit access, depending on what access level they have.
• Members with Manager access (also called “shared drive managers”) and Google Workspace admins can add other people as members and set their access level.

For a complete list of what each access level allows, review the following table:

Add members to a shared drive
Requires Manager access