Adding Shared Files to Drive

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated December 5, 2013)

1

The collaborative aspects of Google Drive are quite enticing. Someone can create a document or a spreadsheet and then give you access to it with nothing more than your e-mail address. Then, depending on what the person allows you to do, you can read, change, and update information in the shared file.

Normally you can see what people have shared with you by logging into Drive and then clicking Shared with Me at the left side of the Drive screen. You may, however, want a file to be copied to your actual Drive space rather than simply being available as a shared file. Here's how you can accomplish this task:

  1. Log into your Drive account as you normally would (drive.google.com).
  2. Click Shared with Me at the left side of the screen.
  3. Locate the file you want to copy to your Drive space.
  4. Select the check box at the left of the file's name.
  5. Click Add to My Drive in the toolbar area above the file list. (This option is available only after you select a check box in step 4.)

That's it; you can see the file in your Drive space by clicking My Drive at the left of the screen. Note, too, that the file is notated as "Shared" in the file listing. This means that even though it is in your Drive space, any collaborative work done on the file is still shared with those who have access to that file.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Saving Documents as Read-Only by Default

When you save your documents, you can specify that they be saved in a "read-only" format so that they cannot be changed ...

Discover More

Moving the Insertion Point in a Macro

One of the common things done in macros is to somehow "process" documents, which often means moving the insertion point ...

Discover More

Working with Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheets

If you've got some older data around your office that started in an old Lotus 1-2-3 system, you may want to open it in ...

Discover More
More DriveTips

Getting a File Count

Want to know how many files you've got stored in Drive or in a folder or two? There is no built-in tool to get the info, ...

Discover More

Working with Text Files

One of the most plain-vanilla types of files you can store in Drive is a text file. Here's how to work with the content ...

Discover More

Limiting which File Types You See in Drive

Overwhelmed with the number of files displayed on your screen when using Drive? Here's a handy way you can limit what is ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 5 + 2?

2015-06-08 15:03:28

Susan Trovas

If a file has a W symbol, is that a read only file unless you open it in Google Docs?

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2020 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.