Things to watch out for when copying and moving files around Collab...
When copying a file [copy/paste] or moving it [cut/paste] from one volume to another [e.g., from Collab to Home], the file will lose the original permissions it had before the copy/move.
So, for example, if you copy a file, mystuff.txt, from Home to a directory on Collab accessible to everyone in your department, then anyone in your department will able to access the file on Collab.
The same is true if you copy/paste a file within Collab, say from a directory accessible to anyone in your department to a project directory accessible to a specific group of people, some of whom are outside your department. Once copied to the project directory, the file will be accessible to the specific group.
This should all be fairly intuitive. Files take on the permissions of the containing directory.
There is a gotcha, though.
If you move a file [drag and drop] rather than copy it, then the file retains its original permissions, but only if it is being moved within a single volume [e.g., from one part of Collab to another; not from, say, Collab to Home].
Why does this matter? Because if you are reorganizing lots of files and you cut/paste or drag/drop files with special/individualized permissions from one place on Collab to another, they will retain their original permissions. Say you cut a file on John's folder on Collab that has files in it that only John and Bob can see, and you paste them into a general department-wide folder on Collab. In their new place, the department-wide folder, they will still only be visible to John and Bob. If you want the files to become visible to the entire department, copy and paste them, then if desired delete them from their original location.
See Microsoft's Knowledge Base document, //support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/310316, which states that
By default, an object inherits permissions from its parent object, either at the time of creation or when it is copied or moved to its parent folder. The only exception to this rule occurs when you move an object to a different folder on the same volume. In this case, the original permissions are retained.
Examples:
Home | Collab | Copy/Paste | File Takes on Permissions of Parent Directory |
Home | Collab | Drag/Drop | File Takes on Permissions of Parent Directory |
Home | Collab | Cut/Paste | File Takes on Permissions of Parent Directory |
Collab | Collab | Copy/Paste | File Takes on Permissions of Parent Directory |
Collab | Collab | Drag/Drop | File Retains Original Permissions |
Collab | Collab | Cut/Paste | File Retains Original Permissions |
Related articles
This article does not describe moving content to or from shared drives. For details, see Move content to a shared drive.
Shared folders are different from shared drives. Moving an item from a shared folder may change who can see it and what permissions apply to the item. Consider using shared drives in your organization instead of simply sharing folders.
Note: If you move folders with a lot of files or subfolders, it might take some time to move all the items to the new location.
Before you begin
To move files or folders from a shared folder to My Drive:
- Make sure to share the item with can Edit access.
- Enable the Editors can change permissions and share setting for the file or folder. For instructions, go to Restrict sharing options on Drive files.
File permissions
Moving a file or folder from a shared folder into My Drive is a move and not a copy. The moved content is no longer in the shared folder. As a result:
- Any permissions that the moved content inherited from the shared folder are removed. It inherits new permissions from the destination folder, in addition to other, explicitly set, permissions.
- Users no longer see the moved files or folders in the shared folder.
Example
- A user shared a file with users A and B.
Users A and B have access to the file, regardless of its location. - A user shared a file stored in folder X with users A and C.
Users A, B, and C have access to the file. - A file that is shared with user D is moved to folder Y.
Users A, B and D have access to the file, but user C no longer sees it in folder X and no longer has access to the file.
Notifications when moving files
When a user moves a file from a shared folder to My Drive, they see a warning before the move takes effect. This notification helps reduce the risk of a user accidentally moving files and removing access from other users.
If the user proceeds with the move, they see another message notifying them of the change, giving them a chance to undo it.
Users can also track activity for files and folders in My Drive to see the history of any changes, including notices when files are moved. So, if you share a folder from My Drive and someone moves an item out of the shared folder, you can see a notice in the activity history that the file was removed. The notice also tells you who moved the file and when.
What should your organization do?
If your organization doesn’t have an extensive shared folder structure, you might not need to do anything. However, organizations that use shared folders extensively might:
- Consider using shared drives in your organization instead of sharing folders—Read What are shared drives?
- Lock down your shared folders to Can view access only—If a user only has view access to a folder, they can’t remove or add files to it. This is the safest way to ensure someone doesn’t add or remove content from a shared folder. However, develop a business process to identify people with the can Edit sharing setting for a shared folder. Alternatively, you might want to educate your users to be careful about granting edit access to shared folders.
- Add shortcuts instead of moving files—Train your users to add shortcuts wherever they want to access a file from another folder. Refer them to Create a shortcut for a file or folder and Find files & folders with Google Drive shortcuts.
Tip: If an item shows up in your My Drive root that previously wasn't there, read Find a file you don't think you deleted.
Related topics
- Share folders in Google Drive
- View activity and file versions
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