How to share a Google Drive file (desktop)

Quick Checklist

• Open Google Drive
• Login (if necessary)
• Navigate to where the file is located
• Click on More Actions (3 vertical dots on the right)
  • Opens a new menu
• Select Share
  • Opens a new menu
• Select Share
  • Opens the share window
• Add a person, group, or calendar event that you want to share the file with
• Select their level of access
  • Viewer, Commenter, or Editor
• Send them an optional notification email if you want
• Verify the new access by going back to the share window and making sure the new name is listed

Detailed Steps

Open Google Drive

There are multiple ways to get there.  Here are the most common

• Go to https://drive.google.com
• If you are already in a Google application like Gmail, click on the Google apps icon (nine dots in the upper right corner) and select Google Drive

Login (if necessary)

If you are already logged in to a Google application, you can skip this step.

If not, when you go to https://drive.google.com it will take you to Google’s login screen

Log in with the account that you want to use.

Navigate to where the file is located

Find the file in Google Drive.

Click on More Actions (3 vertical dots on the right)

This will open a new menu.

Select Share

This will open a new menu.

Select Share

This will open the Share window.

Add a person, group, or calendar event that you want to share the file with

Select their level of access

Here’s a breakdown of access levels:

Send them an optional notification email if you want

If you want to send an email notification

• Keep “Notify people” checked
• Write out your message
• Click Send

If you do not want to send an email notification

• Uncheck “Notify people”
• Click Share

Verify the new access by going back to the share window and making sure the new name is listed

Follow the same steps to bring up the share window:

Notes

• There are a few other ways to get to the share window
  • Click on the file and press Ctrl + Alt + A
  • Click on the file and click on the share icon

• • With certain types of files open, there may be a Share window in the upper right corner (i.e., Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, etc.)