Google Drive Blog
The latest news and updates from the Google Drive team.
Smarter sharing in Drive and Docs
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Today we're making two updates that make it even easier to work better—together—in Drive and the Docs editors.
After you add an email address to the sharing dialogue, you’ll see profile pictures for everyone you’ve added. This can come in handy when you need to confirm that you’re inviting the right contacts, especially if you work with people that have similar names.
It’s also quicker to find all the people you need to share something with. Once you add two collaborators, you’ll see suggestions for related people who you frequently email or share files with.
For an overview and tips and tricks about sharing visit the
Help Center
.
Posted by Lev Epshteyn, Software Engineer
A new activity stream in Drive shows you what’s changed
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
(Cross-posted from the
Official Enterprise Blog
)
Drive makes group projects easier because everyone can share files and work together. But in today’s busy world, it’s tough to track the changes to all your shared to-do lists, budgets and presentations, especially when content changes so often. So starting today, you’ll notice a new activity stream in Drive – a single, easy-to-view place to review every action taken on your files and folders.
When you open Drive, click the
ⓘ
button in the top right corner and the activity stream will appear, showing you who has taken action on files and folders in
My Drive
. You’ll see a rundown of what your team has been doing, such as editing and commenting on notes, adding a new spreadsheet, renaming a presentation, and
more
.
It’s also easy to only see what you’re interested in. Just select any file or folder and the stream will change instantly to show information relevant to that item.
And
last month
it became easier to take quick actions on your folders like rename, share, organize and more with a new drop-down menu at the top of each shared folder. Below this menu you'll see the entire folder hierarchy so you can jump to a different folder with a single click. And you can see profile pictures to help you understand exactly who has access to the shared folder.
Activity stream
will rollout to everyone over the next week. Give it a try with your next group project and let us know what you think on our
Google+ page
.
Posted by Ian Gunn, Google Drive Interaction Designer
Share your stuff from Google Drive to Google+
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
With Google+, you can share what you want with just the right people. That might be pictures from your weekend apple picking adventure or an article from your favorite new blog. Starting today, you can also share the stuff you create and store in Google Drive, and people will be able to flip through presentations, open PDFs, play videos and
more
, directly in the Google+ stream.
(click the image above to view a presentation in the stream)
To get started, simply click the Google+ icon when you're sharing from Drive, or copy-and-paste a link to a file from Google Drive into one of your Google+ posts.
Posted by Li-Wei Lee, Software Engineer
Google Drive: Updates for iOS and Android
Monday, September 10, 2012
(
Cross-posted from the
Official Google Blog
)
Every day, more and more people are choosing to live online and
get things done in the cloud
. Helping to make this experience as seamless as possible,
Google Drive
is one place where you can create, share and keep all your stuff. Drive is available on the web, as well as
Mac
,
Windows
and
Android
and
iOS
.
Updates for iOS
Starting today, if you’re using the
Drive app
on your iOS device you can also
edit
Google documents, just as you can with the
Android app
. From your iPhone or iPad, you can
create a new document, edit an existing one or format text
. And just like on your computer, you’ll be able to see other people’s edits instantly as they’re made.
You’ll also notice other new improvements to the iOS Drive app. For example, you can now view Google
presentations
on your iPhone or iPad, including speaker notes, full-screen mode and the ability to swipe between slides. You can also
create new folders, move files into folders and upload stuff
(like photos and videos) from your device directly in the Drive app.
Updates for Android
We’re also updating the Drive app for Android phones and tablets today. You can now add comments, reply to existing comments and view tables in your Google documents. And you’ll have the same new abilities to view presentations and organize your stuff as your friends with iPhones do.
More to come...
Looking ahead, we have plenty more planned for the Drive mobile apps—including native editing and real-time collaboration for Google spreadsheets. Stay tuned.
Get Drive in the
App Store
for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and visit the
Play Store
to get the latest on your Android phone or tablet. To learn more about Google Drive, visit
drive.google.com/start
.
Posted by Anil Sabharwal, Senior Product Manager
Tips & Tricks: Sharing Google Docs Like a Pro
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Google Docs enables you to collaborate on your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings with as many, or as few, people as you’d like. We’ve explained our new sharing model
before
, but, in recognition of
National Cyber Security Awareness month
, we want to make sure you’re aware of your options for sharing your documents.
Google Docs Sharing Icons 101
In your document list, you’ll notice various icons and descriptions listed next to the title of each doc. Here’s a general overview:
A lock icon means “Private”
A lock icon in front of a globe means “Anyone with the link”
A globe means “Public on the web”
Next to each of these icons, you’ll see text indicating who can edit a doc and who can view a doc -- a collaborator is able to edit, while a viewer can access a doc in view-only mode.
Let’s look at a few examples:
If you have a doc with a lock icon that reads “Not shared,” the doc is private to only you. No one but you can find, view or edit that document.
If your doc has a lock icon that reads “[Owner’s name] to X collaborators, Y viewers,” that document is accessible to you and the people with whom you (or a collaborator, if you have given collaborators the ability to change permissions) have explicitly shared it. If the link to the doc is sent to someone who hasn’t been granted either view- or edit-access, that person won’t be able to open the doc.
The sharing setting “Anyone with the link” is represented by a small lock over a globe. If you see this icon, it means that the doc is viewable to anyone who has the link to the doc. You can also explicitly allow certain individuals to edit the document, which is represented by the text “3 collaborators.”
If this link is inadvertently shared with people who shouldn’t have access, you can always reset the link by clicking
Reset link
in the sharing dialog in your doc:
If your doc is set to public, it will have a globe next to it, and it could potentially be found and viewed by anyone on the web. We call this setting “Public on the web (anyone can view).” If you check the box to allow anyone to edit in the sharing dialog, your doc will also be editable by anyone who opens it.
Be cautious when using this setting to help avoid sharing information beyond your comfort level.
View access versus edit access to a doc
In addition to the indicators above, you can see who can view a doc and who can edit a doc from the sharing dialog within the doc itself. If the doc is set to “Private to X collaborators, Y viewers,” you’ll be able to see which collaborators can view and which collaborators can edit. In the drop-down menu, the owner of the doc, or collaborators who have been granted permission, can change this setting for each person.
Click
Change
next to the text “Editors will be allowed to add people and change the permissions” if you don’t want to allow people with edit access on your doc to be able to share the document or change the sharing settings.
For docs with the sharing settings ‘Anyone with the link’ or ‘Public on the web,’ the Visibility options pane lets you control whether people viewing the doc will also be able to edit it. Check the box next to “Allow anyone to edit (no sign-in required)” if you’d like anyone who opens your doc to be able to edit it.
Note that both collaborators with view access to a doc and collaborators that have edit access will be able to make a copy of the data or material contained in the doc.
Using this handy reference for sharing icons and settings, we encourage you to go through your document list at
docs.google.com
and check your document sharing settings to make sure that you’re sharing and collaborating securely in Google Docs. You can learn more about sharing and visibility settings in the
Google Docs Help Center
.
Posted by: Julia Harter, Consumer Operations Associate
Sharing in Google Docs just got easier
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The ability to share my Google Docs is crucial to my productivity. My teammates and I often add comments to docs, collaboratively organize our feature-planning spreadsheet, and send links of interesting company presentations to each other. Like anyone, I want to make sure that I can share these materials with my colleagues easily and efficiently. This is why I’m happy to announce some improvements that make sharing your Docs easier while giving you even more control:
Improved visibility options indicating how private or shareable a doc is
: Google docs can now be identified as: private; anyone with a link; or public on the web.
Private
: Docs start out as private. When you first create a doc, you are the only person with access to it. From there, you can give access to other people.
Anyone with the link
: If you set your doc to “Anyone with the link,” it’s like an unlisted phone number. In the same way that anyone who knows an unlisted phone number can call it, anyone who knows the web address or URL of that doc can view it.
Public on the web
allows anyone the ability to find and access that particular doc on the web. For example, you could create a flyer for a concert, save it as a public doc, post a link to it on your blog. Public docs are automatically indexed by search engines like Google, so they may appear in search results as well.
Access viewable at a glance
: Visibility options for your docs now appear next to every doc title and in the docs list. You can easily see the full list of editors and viewers by clicking on the visibility option next to the doc’s title or on the
Share
button
A cleaner, simpler interface
: We’ve removed the three tab interface and replaced it with one dialog that lets you see who has access, manage access and invite others.
Resettable doc URL
: For a doc set to anyone with a link, you can reset the doc’s URL at anytime, which helps you better control who has access to your doc.
Bulk changes in the docs list
: You can now modify the sharing settings of multiple docs at a time by selecting multiple docs and selecting
Share > Sharing settings
.
To learn more about how these new visibility options work and for an overview of sharing in Google Docs, check out the videos below:
These changes are rolling out now and should be available to everyone in the next week. These improvements have really made a difference in my Google Docs experience. I can share much more quickly and always tell at a glance who has access to my docs. I hope you find them helpful too. Let us know what you think
in the forums
.
Posted by: Vikki Chou, Software Engineer
Sharing emails get a facelift
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Starting today, more colorful emails might be waiting in your friends' and colleagues' inboxes if you've shared Google documents with them. Check out the difference:
Old Email
New Email
In addition to the visual update, the new emails showcase your custom message rather than placing it at the bottom. Your buddy won't miss that important note about your shared document being a work of fiction (sound
familiar
?), because it's now prominently featured.
No more hunting for links either, just click the header:
Or, if multiple docs are shared, peruse a simple list:
The email's color and icon indicate the type of document at-a-glance:
Spreadsheets
Presentations
We know you're mighty busy, so we're always looking for ways to make Google Docs quicker and easier to use and share. Let us know what you think on the
forums
.
Posted by: Vance Vagell, User Interface Software Engineer
Taking charge of your document sharing
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
We designed Google Docs to make it easier for users to collaborate with one another — students working on assignments, colleagues designing projects and presentations, and friends and families sharing ideas and planning events together. We think collaboration inspires innovation and learning. That being said, we also recognize that sometimes you may want to share your documents and collaborate with a more limited group. In the spirit of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we recommend you keep the following document sharing tips in mind.
Share your documents wisely
You can share your Google documents with just about anyone, but if your information is sensitive or confidential, make sure you are only sharing it with people you trust. Avoid inviting an entire mailing list or group if you aren't sure who is in that group or who may be added in the future. Instead, you can individually invite the specific people with whom you'd like to share your document.
By default, if you give other users edit rights to your document, they are able to invite others to view or edit the document, too. We designed the sharing feature this way because we assume that the people with whom you're sharing your documents are people you trust. If it's important to you that your document is only accessed by the people you specifically invite, go to the 'Advanced permissions' tab in your sharing settings and un-check the boxes next to 'Allow editors to invite others to edit or view' and 'Allow invitations to be forwarded.' Un-checking these boxes will make you the only one who can invite people to your document.
Editors and Viewers can also make a copy of your document
Anyone with edit or view access to your document, presentation or spreadsheet can make a copy of that doc. Remember that copying would be possible simply by copying/pasting the contents of a document into another program — even without this specific copy feature. When someone uses the "Make a copy" function (from the File menu) in Google Docs, that person becomes the owner of the new document and can choose to carry over all the collaborators of the copied document or remove them. They can then change the content and publish or share the document with whomever they want. Again, be sure to only share your docs with people you trust.
Removing a viewer or editor from your document
If you would no longer like one or more of your collaborators to have access to your documents, you can remove them. To remove a viewer or editor from a document, go to the 'People with access' tab in your sharing settings and choose 'None' from the drop-down list next to their name. Make sure you also go to the 'Advanced permissions' tab and un-check the box next to 'Allow invitations to be forwarded.' This will disable the invitation that you had originally sent and prevent that person from accessing your doc using that invitation.
These are just some of the options you have available for sharing your documents. For more information about sharing options, visit our
Help Center
.
Posted by: Ashley Chandler, Online Operations, Google Docs
Labels
#SafeOnline
accessibility
add-ons
Android
app scripts
apps
attachments
avery
back to school
blind
braille
charts
chat
Chrome
Chrome extensions
chrome web apps
Cloud Connect
collaboration
comments
community
discussions
docs
docs editors
document list
documents
documents list
drawings
Drive
drivebacktoschool
easybib
education
enterprise
Faces of Docs
folders
forms
gmail
gone google
Google Apps Blog
Google Apps Script
Google Cloud Connect
google docs
Google Docs Viewer
google documents
google drive
Google Drive Blog
Google Pack
Google Sites
Google+
googlenew
Guest Post
hangout on air
help
holiday
images
iOS
Keep
letterfeed
low-vision
mailchimp
mobile
nanowrimo
OCR
office compatibility mode
offline
paperless
pdfs
photo
photos
presentations
product ideas
profiles
quickoffice
Reddit
research
save to drive
screen reader
scripts
security
sharing
sheet
sheets
shortcut
slides
spell check
spreadsheets
stock photos
storage
students
suggested edits
tables
teachers
team
templates
videos
Viewer
work
Archive
2016
Sep
May
Apr
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Jul
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jun
Apr
Mar
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2007
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2006
Dec
Nov
Oct
Feed
Visit our site
Google Drive
Google Docs, Sheets, Slides
Google
on
Follow @googledrive
Give us feedback in our
Product Forum
.