Google Shared Drives vs. Google Shared Folders, does it matter?

Google Shared Drives and Google Shared Folders are two options that allow you to collaborate with others. While both are useful for sharing files, it is important to understand the difference between them and why it matters now more than ever. 

Main Difference

The main difference between Google Shared Drives and My Drive Shared Folders is ownership. Who owns the drive or shared folder and who owns the files?

• Google Shared Drives: The drive itself owns the files and folders, not an individual or specific users. Shared Drive Managers invite collaborators/members and set drive permissions to determine who has access to and control over the files and folders. Files added by any member of the shared drive will remain, even if they leave the UMN.
• My Drive Shared Folder: The person who creates a folder in My Drive and shares it with collaborators is the owner of the folder. Collaborators who add content to the shared folder own the files they have added. If owners or collaborators leave the UMN, their files will be deleted. 

Where are your important files?

• Documents you create that should remain after you leave the University belong in a Google Shared Drive. 
• If you have added documents to a Shared Google Folder owned by an individual, ask the owner and collaborators to transfer the files to a Shared Drive instead. Collaborators will also need to be members of the Shared Drive.
• If you regularly access files that are shared with you and owned by someone else, where are the files located? 
• Don't wait until a colleague is leaving to ensure you will have access to their important files. Digital housekeeping is something that should be done regularly. 

How to tell the location of a file

Search for a document in Google Drive

• The Location of a file or folder is displayed in Google Drive. You can hover over the location to see the parent folder and drive.  
• If a document or folder is in a Shared Drive, the Owner will be the name of the Shared Drive
• Click the (i) in the upper right corner to view additional details (e.g. who has access, file type, last modified, activity, date created)  

When collaborating with others, it really does matter where you store your shared documents. If you are intentional about sharing day to day, you won't have to scramble to find and save important documents when someone leaves. 

Additional Resources:

• Compare Shared Drives to My Drive
• Google Shared drives features and tips
• Move files and folders into shared drives
• Retain files after collaborators leave the UMN
• Focus on files in Google Workspace

Article by Karen Matthes, Extension Learning Technologies, klm@umn.edu