How to Create a Shared Drive in Google Workspace

The Problem with Individual Google Drives

When a company first starts using Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), employees usually default to using their own personal “My Drive.” They create folders, upload crucial client documents, and then manually share those specific folders with their colleagues.

This works fine for a startup with three people, but it quickly becomes a massive liability as the company grows. The fundamental flaw with “My Drive” is ownership. If an employee creates a vital financial spreadsheet in their personal drive, they technically own that file. If that employee suddenly resigns and their Google account is deleted by the IT administrator, every single file they created vanishes along with them—even if those files were shared with the CEO.

To prevent catastrophic data loss and simplify team collaboration, businesses must use Shared Drives. A Shared Drive is owned by the organization itself, not by any individual user. If an employee leaves, the files remain safely exactly where they are.

Requirements for Creating a Shared Drive

Before you begin, you must understand that Shared Drives are a premium business feature. They are not available on free personal Gmail accounts (e.g., [email protected]). They are only available on paid Google Workspace tiers (specifically Business Standard, Business Plus, and Enterprise).

Furthermore, depending on how strict your company’s IT policies are, the ability to create a Shared Drive may be restricted exclusively to Google Workspace Administrators. If you do not see the options below, you will need to submit an IT support ticket.

How to Create a New Shared Drive

If you have the correct permissions, creating a new drive takes only a few seconds.

1. Open your web browser and navigate to Google Drive (drive.google.com).
2. Look at the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. Directly beneath “My Drive,” you should see a section labeled Shared drives.
3. Click on Shared drives.
4. Look up at the top-left corner of the screen and click the large + New button (or simply right-click anywhere in the empty white space of the main window).
5. A small dialogue box will appear asking you to name the drive.
6. Type a clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Q3 Marketing Campaigns” or “Client Invoices 2024”).
7. Click Create.

Google will instantly generate your new drive and open it. It will be completely empty.

How to Add Members and Set Permissions

A Shared Drive is useless until you invite your colleagues into it. Unlike a standard shared folder where everyone gets the same access, Shared Drives offer highly granular permission levels.

1. Click on the name of your new Shared Drive at the top of the screen to open the dropdown menu.
2. Select Manage members.
3. In the “Add people and groups” box, type the email addresses of the colleagues you want to invite. (You can also type the name of a Google Group, like [email protected], to invite everyone at once).
4. Before you click Send, look to the right of their name. You will see a dropdown menu that says “Content manager.” Click this to assign their permission level.

Understanding Permission Levels:

• Manager: The highest level. They can add or remove members, delete the entire drive, and permanently destroy files. Only give this to team leaders.
• Content Manager: The default level. They can edit documents, upload new files, and move files into the trash. (Best for standard employees).
• Contributor: They can edit existing files and upload new ones, but they cannot delete or move anything. (Excellent for interns or junior staff).
• Commenter: They can only view files and leave comments.
• Viewer: They can only read the files. They cannot change a single comma.

Select the appropriate level and click Send. Your colleagues will immediately see the new Shared Drive appear in their left-hand navigation pane.

Best Practices for Shared Drives

To keep your company’s data organized, never create a massive “Company Dump” drive where everyone uploads everything. Instead, create specific Shared Drives for specific departments (e.g., “HR Documents,” “Sales Assets,” “Executive Board”). This ensures that sensitive information remains siloed and only accessible to the employees who actually need it.