Google Workspace
Set Up Google Shared Drives
Create a shared drive, add your team, and keep files when someone leaves. Which editions include shared drives, and how external sharing works.
Last reviewed October 20, 2026 · 3 min read
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What you'll need
A Workspace edition that includes shared drives
An admin setting that allows people to create them
A name for the drive, such as "Customer jobs" or "Finance"
1. Create the drive
Open drive.google.com. Go to Shared drives, then New. Name it and choose Create. You create it in Drive, not in the Admin console.
This works when your edition includes shared drives and your admin allows creation. Google's admin setup page lists Business Starter (with exceptions noted on that page), Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education editions, Essentials editions, Nonprofits, and G Suite Business.
On Business and Enterprise editions, users can create shared drives by default. On Education editions, creation is off by default until an admin turns it on.
2. Add people and a role
Choose Manage members. Google says new members are Content managers unless you change it. The roles are Manager, Content manager, Contributor, Commenter, and Viewer. The permission table on Google's page spells out what each role can do.
3. What happens when someone leaves
The team owns the files, so they stay. Trash holds deleted shared-drive files for 30 days.
Someone outside your organization can be added only if your organization allows external sharing. A person whose own edition does not include shared drives can be added only as a Viewer. Google marks some external-sharing controls as unavailable for Business Starter.
Files a person keeps only in My Drive are not protected the same way. When you remove a user, transfer My Drive files first. Shared-drive files are not deleted with the user.
Common mistakes
Putting the only copy of a contract in one person's My Drive.
Making every member a Manager.
Expecting a personal Gmail account to have the same shared-drive controls.
Questions people ask
Who owns files in a shared drive?
The team owns them. If someone leaves the business, the files stay in the shared drive.
How long do deleted shared-drive files stay in Trash?
30 days.
Can Business Starter use shared drives?
Google's admin help lists Business Starter among the editions that support shared drives, with exceptions it notes on that page. External-sharing limits are one of the items marked "except as noted" for Business Starter. Business Starter is not shut out of shared drives.
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Book a Business Boost CallWords to know
Shared drive: A Drive location the team owns, rather than one person.
My Drive: Files one person owns. They can disappear from the team if that person leaves and nobody transferred them.
Content manager: The default role for a new member. They can add, edit, move, and delete files.
Sources
- What are shared drives? - Google Workspace Admin Help · support.google.com
- Create a shared drive - Google Workspace Learning Center · support.google.com
- Set up shared drives for your organization - Google Workspace Admin Help · support.google.com
This is general information for Sacramento and Northern California businesses. We are not attorneys or tax advisors, and this is not legal or tax advice. Check the official sources, and a local pro, before you act.