How To Create A Shared Google Drive For Photos

How to share a Google Drive folder

(Image credit: monticello/Shutterstock)

Knowing how to share a Google Drive folder really helps you make the best of the cloud storage service's capabilities. Google Drive is a brilliant way to back up and store your own folders, but opening them up to other people makes the service even more useful.

In this guide we'll show you how to create a shareable link for any Google Drive folder, allowing you to work with others on group projects, send important information to trusted individuals or just share content with friends and family.

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Naturally you'll need a Google account to use Google Drive, so get signed up if you haven't already. Anyone you want to share a Google Drive folder with will also need access to the service, in the form of a Google account.

We'll start this guide by walking you through how to upload a folder to Google Drive before sharing it; if you have a locally-saved folder that you want to share, this is the process you'll need to follow. If the folder is already in Drive, you can skip to step 6.

1. Once you're signed into Google Drive, click the "New" button in the top-left of the screen.

How to share a Google Drive folder step 1: Click "New" — (Image credit: Future)

2. Click "Folder upload."

3. Find and select the folder you want to upload, then click "Upload."

How to share a Google Drive folder step 3: Select folder then click "Upload" — (Image credit: Future)

4. Click "Upload" to confirm.

5. Wait for the upload to complete. You should then see the folder appear in the "My Drive" section of Google Drive, which you should still be on unless you've navigated elsewhere.

How to share a Google Drive folder step 5: Check folder is now in My Drive — (Image credit: Future)

6. Right-click the folder and click "Share."

How to share a Google Drive folder step 6: Right-click on folder and click "Share" — (Image credit: Future)

7. In the "Get link" section that pops up, click "Change."

How to share a Google Drive folder step 7: In the — (Image credit: Future)

8. Click the left drop-down menu to choose who can access the folder. "Restricted" means you'll need to manually grant access to individual users, while "Anyone with the link" will allow any Google user to access the folder as long as they have the sharing link.

If you're using a professional Google account, you may also see the option to share only with other members of your organization.

How to share a Google Drive folder step 8: Click the left drop-down menu to choose who can access the folder — (Image credit: Future)

9. To create a shareable link, select "Anyone with the link" or your organization name, then click the drop-down menu on the right to specify sharing permissions.

You can select "Viewer," so anyone you share the folder with can see the contents but not change them; "Commenter" allows users to leave comments but not make edits; and "Editor" permits others to edit, move or otherwise tinker with the shared folder.

How to share a Google Drive folder step 9: Click right-side drop-down menu to change edit permissions — (Image credit: Future)

10. Click "Copy link." This will add the sharing link, including the permissions you specified, to your clipboard. You can now paste this link into any email or messaging app to share the folder.

How to share a Google Drive folder step 10: Click "Copy link" and send it to other users to share the folder — (Image credit: Future)

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James joined Tom's Guide in 2020, bringing years of experience in consumer tech and product testing. As Audio Editor, James covers headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also covers the occasional spot of computing and gaming news, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.