What’s changing
We previously
introduced the option to set expirations on files that reside in shared drives using the Google Drive API. Today, we are bringing the ability to
set expiring access for files and folders in shared drives directly from the sharing dialog. This highly-requested feature brings the ease and security of My Drive access controls into your collaborative shared drives.
File expirations
You can now set expirations when sharing files in a shared drive. This lets you add an expiration date right in the sharing dialog for temporary collaborators, ensuring access is automatically revoked and eliminating the need for manual cleanup.
Add expiration while sharing files in shared drives.
Folder expirations
For shared drive folders, you can now apply an expiration date specifically to the Viewer role. This setting is easily accessible in the folder's sharing dialog, helping you automatically remove read-only access when a collaborator's temporary need is finished.
Add expiration for Viewer role while sharing folders in shared drives.
Consistent expiration behavior in My Drive
We're standardizing access expiration for files and folders in My Drive. The experience is now consistent with shared drives, making it more predictable for you to know when access will expire.
Old behavior: If you granted someone temporary Editor access to a file inside a parent folder they could only view, they would lose all access to the file once their Editor permission expired.
New behavior: When their temporary Editor access expires, their permission will revert to the access they have on the parent folder (in this case, Viewer). They will not lose access to the file completely.
Editor access expires, and reverts to Viewer access (user has Viewer access on the parent folder).
Getting started
You can only set sharing expirations on Web and Android phones. Expirations cannot be set on iOS devices in My Drive or shared drives.
Rollout pace
Availability
Available to Google Workspace:
- Business Starter, Standard, Plus
- Enterprise Starter, Standard, Plus
- Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus
- Education Standard, Plus
- Nonprofits
- Frontline Starter, Standard, Plus
Also available to:
- Google One AI Premium
- Google AI Pro and Ultra
- Gemini Business, Enterprise*
Resources