What do you want to know
- Google has rolled out a new Drive update that makes it easier for Workspace customers to collaborate with visitors.
- The new feature will allow non-Google account owners to upload and create files in shared drives.
- However, the new Drive feature is not available to all users.
Google is expanding its sharing feature in Google Drive, allowing non-Google account owners to do more than just view or edit shared files owned by Workspace customers.
The search giant announced it on its Workspace blog (opens in a new tab) that Drive’s visitor sharing feature will now allow non-Google account holders to upload and create files in shared folders. The goal is to facilitate collaboration for all stakeholders in an organization through one of the best cloud storage services.
Google originally introduced this feature in 2020 to allow Workspace customers to grant external users access to view and edit documents in their Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides. This access was protected by a PIN code for identity verification, but its limitations prevent people outside an organization from providing their own content.
The latest update removes this restriction, providing more ways for Workspace users to collaborate with third parties. If you’ve enabled Visitor Sharing for your organization, the new feature will be available by default.
Google has started rolling out the new sharing feature, but it will still take a few days for everyone to see it. During this time, this new feature will not be available to all Workspace customers. According to Google, it’s only available to users in the Workspace Essentials, Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus tiers.
This means you won’t have access to the feature if you’re on a Workspace Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as older G Suite Basic and Business tiers. Personal Google Account owners are also out of luck.