How to Grant Others Member Access to a Shared Drive as a Google Workspace Admin

Quick and easy-to-follow guide for Google Workspace administrators

You can grant people access to a shared drive by adding them as members.

Who can make people members of a shared drive

Only Super Admins and members with the Manager role can grant others member access to a shared drive.

Bulk add members to a shared drive

If you need to add many people as members of a shared drive, you can add them to a group as shown here and then add the group as a member.
As an admin, you can do this in the Admin console, as shown below.
You can also do it in the Google Drive interface, as shown here.

How to add members to grant access to a shared drive step-by-step with images

Step 1

In the Admin console at https://admin.google.com, click the Apps icon.

Step 2

Select Google Workspace.

Step 3

Click Drive and Docs. Make sure not to check the box to the left; just click the name.

Step 4

Select Manage shared drives.

Step 5

Hover over a shared drive and click Manage members on the right.

Step 6

Now you see a list of the current members and their roles in the Shared Drive.

Click Add people and groups.

Step 7

Invite people or groups by entering their names or email addresses. If they are suggested below, click to select them.

You can only search by name and get suggestions for people in your Google Contacts at https://contacts.google.com.

Any email address you add here must have a Google account linked to it.

Step 8

You can select between the following access permissions:

Viewer – can only view files
Commenter – can view and comment on files
Contributor – can add and edit files but not move or delete them
Content manager – can manage files but not members
Manager – has full access, can do anything in the shared drive

Step 9

You can also type a message to send to the new members. To skip sending a message, uncheck the Notify people box.

Click Send.

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What Are Shared Drives: Introduction to Get Started

Learn what Shared Drives are and what you can do with them.

Manage Organization-Wide Shared Drive Settings

Configure the default restriction settings for all shared drives.

Restore Deleted Shared Drive Data

Restore deleted Shared Drive files and folders.

Allow or Disable Moving Google Drive Items to Shared Drives

Control if users can move files and folders to shared drives.

Manage a Specific Shared Drive’s Settings

Control the individual settings for each separate shared drive.

See a List of All Shared Drives

View a list of the currently existing Shared Drives in your account.

Grant People Member Access to a Shared Drive

Allow people to access a Shared Drive.

Remove Shared Drive Members

Prevent someone from accessing a shared drive.

View and Update Shared Drive Members’ Access Permissions

View a Shared Drive’s members and manage their access level.

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How to Grant Others Member Access to a Shared Drive as a Google Workspace Admin

Quick and easy-to-follow guide for Google Workspace administrators

Who can make people members of a shared drive

Bulk add members to a shared drive

How to add members to grant access to a shared drive step-by-step with images

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

That's all! You reached the end of the article. Continue to:

If you find this useful, share and help others!

What Are Shared Drives: Introduction to Get Started

Manage Organization-Wide Shared Drive Settings

Restore Deleted Shared Drive Data

Allow or Disable Moving Google Drive Items to Shared Drives

Manage a Specific Shared Drive’s Settings

See a List of All Shared Drives

Grant People Member Access to a Shared Drive

Remove Shared Drive Members

View and Update Shared Drive Members’ Access Permissions

Get the best out of Google Workspace

Resources for website creators

Protect your data and maximize security

Process optimization and collaboration

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