How to Set an Expiration Date on Shared Files in Google Drive

When collaborating with external contractors, clients, or temporary vendors, sharing sensitive documents via Google Drive is incredibly convenient. However, leaving those share links active indefinitely is a massive security risk. If a vendor’s email account is compromised months after a project ends, hackers could use that old link to access your proprietary data. To mitigate this, Google Workspace users can automatically set an expiration date when sharing a file, ensuring access is revoked without any manual intervention.

How to Set an Expiration Date on a Share Link

Note: This feature is only available for paid Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) accounts. Standard free Google accounts ending in @gmail.com do not have access to expiration dates.

1. Open your web browser and navigate to drive.google.com.
2. Locate the specific file or folder you want to share.
3. Right-click on the file and select Share (or click the Share button with the person icon).
4. In the “Add people and groups” field, type the email address of the person you want to grant temporary access to.
5. Assign their permission level (e.g., Viewer or Commenter) using the drop-down menu on the right.
6. Click the Send button to grant them initial access.
7. Immediately right-click on the exact same file again and select Share to reopen the menu.
8. Find the person’s name in the list of people with access.
9. Click the permission drop-down menu next to their name (where it says “Viewer”).
10. Select Add expiration from the menu.

How to Customize or Remove the Expiration Date

By default, Google Drive will automatically set the expiration date for 30 days in the future. To customize this timeline:

1. Look directly beneath the person’s name in the Share menu. You will see a small clock icon with a date (e.g., “Access expires Sep 10”).
2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to that date.
3. A calendar widget will appear. Click on your desired expiration date. Important: Access will expire at 11:59 PM (in your local time zone) on the date you select.
4. Click the Done button.
5. Click the blue Save button at the bottom of the Share dialog box.

Once the clock strikes midnight on the expiration date, the user will instantly lose all access to the file. If they attempt to click their original share link, they will be greeted with a “You need permission” error screen. To remove the expiration prematurely, simply click the Edit icon again and select Remove expiration.