How to share Google files or folders

If you have a church email account, and you use our Google Workspace for committee and other shared church work, you might need to share a file or folder. Sharing a folder shares all the files and folders inside of it.

Here are some instructions you can use.

  1. Log in with your church email and password to Google.ca.
  2. Select the Google Apps menu and select Drive.
    The Google Apps menu
  3. The next step is to locate the folder or file that you want to share. You might need to open a folder to get to a file (1).
    Sharing a file in Google Workspace
  4. Select the file or folder (2), or open the file.
    1. If you’re sharing file(s) or folder(s) that are selected, select the Manage access (3) link.
    2. If you’re sharing a file and it’s open, select the Share button.
      share button
  5. To share with specific people, enter their email address in the Share with people and groups box and then select their name from the list.
    share with people and groups box

    1. To get a link to email to people, where anyone with the link can access the file or folder, leave this box empty.
  6. Set the permissions (5) to control the permissions you want people to have :
    1. Viewer, if you want people you’re sharing the item with to be able to read the content but not make comments or edit it.
    2. Editor, if you want people yo be able to edit the content.
    3. Commenter, if you don’t want people to be able to edit, but you do want them to be able to make comments.
      permissions list
  7. If you entered email addresses in step 5, select the Send button (you’re done).
  8. If you didn’t enter email addresses in step 5:
    1. Change whether the person needs to have a UU email or not (4). Set this to “Anyone with the link” which will work for anyone who has the link, regardless of if their email ends in “uuwinnipeg.mb.ca”.
    2. Select Copy link (6) and then select Done.
    3. Create an email to the person(s) you want to have the link and include the link in your email.