cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

shermans
Pro
Posts: 1,303
Thanks: 101
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-09-2007

Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

Can anyone help with Google Drive because it has beaten me !

I have a bog  standard, no subscription, Gmail account.  No bells and whistles.  I use Google Drive to enable a few contacts (less than 10) to view and download files from Google Drive which are too big for general email servers.  The Drive has a series of folders into which I upload these files, like a library.  I then send the Gmail address and password to my contacts to allow them to open the drive to view the files as necessary.

However, recently someone decided to be clever and down-loaded a file, changed it and uploaded it back to the Drive without telling me.  He also decided to move a couple of files between folders.  Understandably, it messed things up as no-one knew what was where any more, or what the latest update was.  This chap was trying to be helpful, so I could not be cross about it.

However, I want to stop it happening again.  I decided to try to make the Drive "Read ONLY" for everyone but me.  But I have failed.  I tried using the "Share" feature, but it seems that I can only add people with Gmail accounts, not people with external email accounts.  I then tried to use the "Share the link" method but that achieved nothing.  It just allowed third parties to edit in the same way as sharing the password etc.  So I admit defeat; I am a miserable failure; I am a loser; I must be thick !

So can anyone explain in simple layman's terms how I can retain total editing control while still enabling third parties to view the files ?  I would like third parties to be able to download and print documents, but not upload anything or change anything already on the Drive.

Thanks.  All suggestions appreciated. Another vehicle - maybe Outlook.com - might be better than Google Drive, perhaps ?

5 REPLIES 5
shutter
Community Veteran
Posts: 22,206
Thanks: 3,769
Fixes: 65
Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

@shermans 

 

Done a google for you.... came up with this....

 

http://usingeducationaltechnology.com/how-to-create-a-view-only-folder-in-drive/

 

Now, if you have already got read and write on a folder..... it may be a good idea to make a "new folder" for each folder... and make them "view only"  

 

then transfer the stuff from the "old" folder to the new "view only" folder.  

 

then delete the old folder(s)

 

I have never used Google drive... so I`m not sure .....

Have a nice day ! .

 

shermans
Pro
Posts: 1,303
Thanks: 101
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-09-2007

Re: Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

Thanks Shutter.  Nice try, but I am afraid same old problem.  It does not work.  I have tried to follow the instructions in your post but the features do not exist (except possibly if the recipient is a Gmail account address which does not apply in my case, so I have not tried).   I think the reason for this is that the post to which you refer is 2016 and Google Drive has changed a lot since then.

Your idea was much appreciated, however.  Thanks again.

MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

This https://support.google.com/drive/thread/11914624?hl=en seems a bit more recent

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

idonno
Champion
Posts: 1,564
Thanks: 506
Fixes: 6
Registered: ‎22-10-2015

Re: Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

I'd have thought the default would have been to share (view) but not change etc without extra permissions being granted. 

Ever helpful. Grin Sure, I’d love to help you out. Now which way did you come in?
shermans
Pro
Posts: 1,303
Thanks: 101
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-09-2007

Re: Anyone familiar with sharing Google Drive

Wonderful.  Thank you so much.  It does seem to work like that.  I have tried it and it seems ok.  I shall now try it out on a friend's machine just to check.  Thanks for doing the successful research !

Regards