Topics Map > •Email, Collaboration & Storage > -Google Workspace for Education
Google Shared (formerly Team) Drive
Do you want to store, search, and access files from anywhere and any device?
Do you want to be able to access the files that were created by a team member after they have left your organization, such as a student employee?
Answer: Use Google Shared (formerly Team) Drive
Overview
Google Shared (formerly Team) Drives are shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device. You can access files from your computer using any web browser or you can install the mobile application to access your files from your Android or iOS mobile device.
My Drive vs Shared Drive
While files stored on Google Drive, also known as My Drive, are owned by the Google Drive owner, files stored in a Shared (Team) Drive belong to the team rather than an individual.
A Shared Drive is ideal for groups of colleagues who frequently collaborate on documents, such as work groups or project teams. Anyone can create a Google Shared Drive and share ownership of that Drive — as well as any documents stored there —making it easy for all team members to share in the responsibility of organizing and maintaining the files.
Team members can be added or removed from the Shared Drive at any time. When a team member is removed from the group, all files remain in the Shared Drive, allowing the team to continue sharing information and completing necessary work.
Features
- Files remain after a team member (faculty, staff, student, collaborator) leaves.
- All team members can see the same content.
- Flexible sharing
- External users can be added to Shared Drive.
- Files are searchable.
Google's Getting Started with Shared Drives
The documents below provide more information direct from Google's own website.
Get started with shared drives
- Best practices and tips for shared drives
- Create a Shared Drive - Instructions to create a Shared Drive, add members, and set permissions
- Add Files and Folders to a shared drive - Learn how to create folders, add and open files
- Work with Files - Instructions on how to move, delete, restore, and search for files
- Share and Collaborate - Share files with people, teams or visitors
- How file access works in shared drives
- Duplicate Folders - Easiest way to duplicate folders
- Shared Drive Limits in Google Drive - Some folder, file, and other limitations for Google Workspace Shared Drives
Team Drive and Security
- Refer to the ITSO website: Risk Classification > Approved Services when sharing data with collaborators
- Refer to the: Google Drive/Docs Security and Privacy Recommendations