Understanding My Drive vs. Shared Drives

My Drive

For Files Owned by You

Store and access content that pertains to you as an individual as well as files you're not ready to share just yet.

Sharing is Optional

You don't have to share files in My Drive, but you can if you'd like to. Files and folders must be shared individually.

You can find all My Drive files owned by other people that you've been given access to by looking in your “Shared with me” section of Google Drive.

Your access to these files may be rescinded at any time by the owner or other editors.

Fewer Levels of Access

You can grant others varying levels of access to the files you own:

• Editors can make changes and share files.
• Commenters can only comment.
• Viewers can only read.

Shared Drive

For Files Owned by the Team

Central spaces where files and folders can be stored and accessed without tying them to an individual owner.

This is best for files needed for business continuity.

If a Shared Drive member were to leave the university, these files would remain accessible by all remaining members of the Shared Drive.

Likewise, if someone new joins your team, you can quickly give them access to all shared documents instead of granting access one at a time on a document level

Sharing is Automatic

All members of the Shared Drive have automatic access to all the content, but may have different access levels.

Individuals who are not members of the Shared Drive can be given access to specific files and folders.

More Control Over Access Levels

Shared Drive members may have different levels of access to content in said drive:

• Managers have full administrative control.
• Content Managers can add, edit, move and delete files.
• Contributors can only add files.
• Commenters can only comment.
• Viewers can only read.

Older Shared Drives may additionally have editor level access.