This Google Drive update should make it so much easier to keep your shared files safe

Google has announced that it would be making it easier for users to set expiry dates when sharing files on its cloud storage platform Drive that uses basic automation to save users from having to go back into the sharing menu and revoke access.

Previously, adding expiry dates to shared files for viewers and commenters was done after having first shared the file or folder, by going back into the menu and amending permissions. With the introduction of this update, certain Google Drive users will now be able to set an expiry date at the point of sharing.

Additionally, Google has also added the ability to control the access period for editors, which was previously unavailable. 

(Image credit: Google)

Google Drive sharing with expiry

In an update on its Workspace blog, Google says that this should benefit workers who know that collaboration on a task is time-bound, meaning that they won’t “have to clean up a file’s access control list after collaboration has ended.”

Rollout of the new features started on October 31, 2022, though the company says that it may take around two weeks for some users to see it. And that’s if they have a Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Essentials/Standard/Plus, Education Plus/Standard, or Nonprofit account.

Lower-tier business accounts, including Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Education Fundamentals, the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, and Frontline customers, will not be able to use the new sharing tools, at least for now. Nor will personal customers.

As the company continues to develop its collaboration tools, it may extend the availability of the new sharing options, having already expressed a commitment to bring it to Android devices by the end of November 2022.

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