Sharing & access
Docs, sheets, Drive files and folders, and calendars are private by default: when you create one, only you can see it. Sharing is per item, and always on purpose — being in the same workspace doesn’t automatically expose your work.
Access levels
Section titled “Access levels”| Level | Can do |
|---|---|
| View | Read the item; no changes |
| Comment | View, plus add comments (docs and sheets) |
| Edit | Full editing |
Calendars add one more, below view: free/busy — others see when you’re busy, but not what the events are.
Share an item
Section titled “Share an item”- Open the item and click Share.
- Add people from your workspace — or a group, which grants everyone on its roster at once (groups show a member count in the picker).
- Pick an access level per person or group.
- Optionally set workspace access — a baseline level (view, comment, or edit) for everyone in the workspace, useful for team-wide docs. It defaults to none.
Changes apply immediately: someone granted edit on a doc can start typing right away; someone revoked loses access mid-session, dropping into an honest “no access” state rather than a stale copy.
Someone’s effective access is the most generous of: a direct grant, a grant via any group they belong to, and the workspace-wide baseline.
Who can manage sharing
Section titled “Who can manage sharing”- The item’s owner manages its sharing.
- Workspace owners and admins always have access to every doc, sheet, and calendar in their workspace, and can manage sharing on any item. There is no way to hide workspace content from workspace admins — plan accordingly.
What viewers experience
Section titled “What viewers experience”An item shared as view-only opens in a true read-only mode — a “View only” chip, no editing toolbar, no accidental changes. Viewers still show up in a doc’s presence row so collaborators can see who’s reading.
Sharing and everything else
Section titled “Sharing and everything else”- Search respects sharing: items appear in someone’s results only if they can open them — including access granted via a group.
- Drive folders share their contents: access to a folder flows down to the files inside it.
- Groups are created and managed by workspace admins under Settings; every member can see the group directory and rosters.