Share Your Whole Google Drive by Changing Folder Permissions
To share your entire Google Drive with another person, you change the sharing settings on your main "My Drive" folder. Google Drive does not have a single "share everything" button, but you can grant access to the root folder — the container that holds all your files and subfolders — and that person will see and access everything inside it, unless you have blocked specific items.
The person you share with sees only what you have permitted them to see. If you set them as a viewer, they can open and read files but not change them. If you set them as an editor, they can modify, delete, or move files. If you set them as a commenter, they can add notes but not edit. These permissions flow down to every file and subfolder unless you have set different rules on individual items.
Key Takeaways
- Sharing "My Drive" itself gives the other person access to all files and folders inside it, but not to shared drives or items you have blocked from sharing.
- You control what the person can do — view only, comment, or edit — and you can change or remove their access at any time.
- Files you have shared with others before you share the whole drive remain under their original sharing rules; the whole-drive share does not override them.
- The person you share with can see the folder structure and file names, but cannot see files you have explicitly removed sharing from.
Steps to Share Your Entire Google Drive
Open Google Drive in your web browser and look at the left sidebar. Right-click on "My Drive" — the folder at the top of your file list. A menu will appear with options including "Share". Click "Share".
A sharing dialog box will open. In the text field that says "Add people and groups", type the email address of the person you want to share with. As you type, Google will suggest matching contacts. Click the person's name or finish typing their full email address and press Enter.
A dropdown menu will appear next to their name showing three options: "Viewer", "Commenter", and "Editor". Choose the permission level you want them to have. Then click "Share" at the bottom of the dialog. Google will send them a notification email with a link to your Drive.
What Each Permission Level Means
Viewer means the person can open files, read them, and read them, but cannot make changes. They cannot delete files, rename them, or move them to different folders. Use this setting when you want someone to see your work but not alter it.
Commenter means the person can view files and add comments or suggestions, but cannot edit the actual content or delete files. This is useful for feedback and review without risk of accidental changes. Not all file types support comments — some older formats may not show the comment feature.
Editor means the person has full control. They can open, edit, delete, rename, and move any file or folder in your Drive. They can also change sharing settings on files. Use this only for people you trust completely, because an editor can delete your entire Drive if they choose to.
What Happens to Files You Have Already Shared
If you shared individual files or folders with people before you share your whole Drive, those earlier shares stay in place. The person you give whole-Drive access to will see those files, but the original sharing rules explore — if you shared a file as "Viewer" with one person, that person remains a viewer even after you share the whole Drive with someone else.
Sharing the whole Drive does not change or override individual file shares. It adds a new layer of access on top of what already exists. If you want to make sure a file stays private even after sharing the whole Drive, you must remove sharing from that specific file or set it to "Restricted" so only you can access it.
How to Stop Sharing Your Entire Google Drive
Right-click "My Drive" again and select "Share". The sharing dialog will show everyone who has access. Find the person whose access you want to remove and click the trash icon next to their name. Confirm the removal. That person will no longer be able to see any files in your Drive, unless you have shared specific files with them separately.
You can also change someone's permission level without removing them entirely. Click the dropdown next to their name and choose a different level — for example, changing "Editor" to "Viewer" — then click "Save". The change takes effect when ready.
Sharing Limitations and What You Cannot Share This Way
Shared Drives — folders created specifically for team collaboration — are not part of "My Drive" and do not get shared when you share your main folder. If you want someone to access a Shared Drive, you must add them to that drive separately through its own sharing settings.
Files you have set to "Restricted" (visible only to you) will remain restricted even after you share the whole Drive. The person you share with will see those files listed in the folder structure, but will not be able to open them. If you want them to see a restricted file, you must change that file's sharing settings individually.
Google Drive sharing works only with Google accounts. If someone does not have a Google account, you cannot share your Drive with them directly. You can share individual files with non-Google accounts by generating a public link, but that is a different process and carries different security considerations.
Security Considerations When Sharing Your Whole Drive
Sharing your entire Drive is a significant action because it gives another person visibility into all your files at once. Before you do it, consider whether the person truly needs access to everything. If they only need certain folders or projects, share those specific folders instead — right-click the folder, select "Share", and follow the same steps.
Editors can delete files, so be cautious about who you give editor access to. If you are sharing with a colleague or team member, consider whether "Commenter" or "Viewer" would be safer. You can always upgrade someone to editor later if they need it.
Check your sharing settings periodically. Right-click "My Drive", select "Share", and review the list of people who have access. Remove anyone who no longer needs it. This is especially important if you have shared your Drive with contractors, temporary team members, or people who have left your organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my Google Drive with a group or team instead of one person?
Yes. When you open the sharing dialog, you can type a Google Group email address instead of an individual email. Everyone in that group will gain access with the permission level you set. If people are added to the group later, they automatically get access to your Drive.
What if I share my Drive with someone and then delete a file — can they still see it?
No. Once you delete a file, it goes to your Trash folder and the person you shared with can no longer see it. If they had a copy or downloaded it before you deleted it, they still have their copy, but they cannot access it through your shared Drive.
Can I share my Google Drive with someone who uses a different email provider?
Only if they have a Google account. You can share with Gmail addresses, Google Workspace accounts, or any account created through Google Sign-In. If someone uses only Outlook or another non-Google email, you cannot share your Drive with them directly — you would need to share individual files as public links instead.
If I share my whole Drive as "Viewer", can the person read all my files at once?
Viewers can read individual files, but Google Drive does not have a built-in feature to read an entire folder at once through the web interface. They would need to read files one by one or use a third-party tool. If you want to send someone a large collection of files, creating a ZIP archive and sharing that file may be faster.
Does sharing my Drive give someone access to files in my Trash or Archive?
No. Sharing "My Drive" gives access only to files and folders currently in your active Drive. Files in Trash are not shared, and archived files remain in your archive — the person you share with cannot see them unless you move them back to your main Drive.