Why you Shouldn't Share from Google Drive

Google Drive is a great tool for storing your documents and collaboration with your team using their tools like Google Docs, Sheets and Slides. However, what happens when you need to share these documents with someone else? and most importantly how safe are my shared documents?

To answer this question let’s look at the different ways you can share your docs using Google Drive.

Sharing with a Share Link

When Google first created Google Drive they needed an easy way for documents to be shared, mainly because these documents reside on Google servers (not your computer) they’d need to provide an easy way for someone to actually download a copy of the document. So they came up with share links.

Sharing a file using Google Drive using a share link is the easiest way to share your documents. Anyone with the link will be able to view and download the file. However, therein lies the issue, anyone with the link can view and download the document. This means that it can be shared with whomever and since Google Drive doesn’t track downloads you’ll have no idea who, or how many people have downloaded your document. This is probably your worst nightmare if you’re sharing something confidential.

Share with Specific People

I imagine that Google probably got lots of feedback from their customers around how insecure their share link feature worked and in response to this they created a second way of sharing files: “Share with Specific People”. You specify the email address of an individual and only they would be able to access the file.

Great problem solved!

Unfortunately not. Firstly this feature requires that your recipient has a Google account, and secondly, they can still download the file and share it with anyone they want. So although this is great for collaborating with a team of individuals that you trust, what about sending confidential information to someone you don’t fully trust?

Secure Document Sharing

Secure document sharing is a feature that is provided by third-party plugins for Google Drive like Orangedox. It helps to solve the issue of sharing directly from Google Drive, ensuring that your documents are only viewed by the intended recipient.

How does secure document sharing work?

When sharing using a secure document-sharing service you’ll be able to share with anyone who has an email account, not just for Google users. Secondly you’ll be able to prevent the document from being downloaded. This will force your audience to view the document online, allowing you to control access and help prevent it from being shared without your permission.

Here's what you get that Google Drive can't offer:

Share with anyone, not just Google account holders. Your recipients can access documents regardless of what email provider they use.
Prevent downloading. You can force recipients to view the document online only, removing their ability to save a local copy.
Track who views your document and when. You'll know exactly who has opened your file and how many times, something Google Drive doesn't offer for shared links.
Revoke access at any time. Changed your mind about sharing? You can disable access instantly, even after the link has been sent.
Control the number of devices each recipient can view from, limiting forwarding and shared access.

But couldn’t they just share the link and/or password?

Orangedox gets around this issue by not using any passwords, as they can easily be shared. Instead, your documents are attached to a specific recipient's device (like their phone, laptop, tablet, etc..) once it's first opened, which prevents the recipient from being able to forward access to someone else. Even if they share the link to the document, once it’s attached to a device only that device will be able to open that document link.

You can then simply control the number of devices each recipient can view your documents from, and disable access whenever you want.

Google Drive's Sharing Changes

Google has made several notable updates to how sharing and permissions work in Drive over the past year. While some of these changes are positive steps toward better permission management, they also highlight the limitations that remain when it comes to truly securing confidential documents.

Limited Access Folders (February 2025)

In February 2025, Google rolled out general availability of "limited access" folders across both My Drive and shared drives. Folder owners and shared drive managers can now restrict a folder so that only specifically added individuals can open it, even if others have general access to the parent shared drive. This is useful for keeping sensitive project files within a broader team drive without exposing them to everyone.

Folder-Level Permission Inheritance (September-October 2025)

From September 22, 2025, Google stopped allowing individual files and folders within a shared folder to have more restrictive permissions than their parent folder. Previously, you could limit access to a specific file independently of the folder it sat in. Now, permissions must be managed at the folder level, as items inherit the access settings of their parent.

Additionally, the "Editors can change permissions and share" setting was updated: turning it off still prevents editors from sharing an item directly, but if that item is moved into a shared folder, the folder's permission changes will now also apply to that item, even if the item's owner wasn't the one making the changes.

What This Means for You

These changes make internal permission management more consistent and predictable. However, they don't address the core problem with sharing confidential documents externally: once someone has access to a file, they can still download it and redistribute it freely. Google's updates focus on how access is structured within Drive, not on preventing recipients from saving or forwarding your content once they have it.

Conclusion

Google Drive is a great tool for storing your documents and collaborating on their creation. But it lacks the security features needed to ensure that your documents are protected. Instead look to third party plugins, like Orangedox, to help securely share your documents.

FAQ

Is Google Drive safe for sharing confidential documents?

For internal team collaboration among trusted colleagues, Google Drive is generally safe. However, for external sharing of confidential information it has significant gaps: recipients can download and redistribute files, there's no download tracking on share links, and once someone has access it's difficult to fully revoke. For sensitive external sharing, a dedicated secure document sharing tool is a better choice.

What's the difference between a share link and sharing with a specific person in Google Drive?

A share link can be accessed by anyone who receives it, and there's no restriction on who can use it. Sharing with a specific person limits access to that individual's Google account. However, both methods still allow the recipient to download your document and share it further. Neither option provides the document-level controls you'd get from a secure sharing platform.

Do the 2025 Google Drive permission changes make my documents more secure?

The 2025 updates, including limited access folders and folder-level permission inheritance, improve how access is structured within teams and shared drives. But they don't prevent recipients who already have access from downloading and re-sharing your files. For external confidentiality, these changes don't close the gap.

Can I stop someone from downloading a document I've shared on Google Drive?

Google Drive does not offer a reliable way to prevent downloads. While there is a setting to disable downloading for certain file types, it can be circumvented with screenshots or screen recording. A dedicated tool like Orangedox provides stronger download prevention by controlling how the document is rendered and accessed online.

Does secure document sharing work for people who don't have a Google account?

Yes, this is one of the key advantages of third-party secure sharing tools. Unlike Google Drive's built-in sharing, which works best when recipients have a Google account, tools like Orangedox work with any email address regardless of the provider.

What happens if I want to revoke access to a document I've already shared?

With Google Drive, you can remove access for specific people you've shared with, but share links can't be fully recalled once forwarded. With Orangedox, you can disable access immediately at any time, and because documents are device-bound rather than link-based, even previously forwarded links stop working the moment you revoke access.

Is Orangedox suitable for large businesses?

Orangedox is designed to work as an added document security layer on top of your Google Drive, making it accessible for businesses of all sizes already using Google Workspace. It provides enterprise-relevant features like per-recipient device control, access audit trails, and granular revocation, without requiring you to move away from your existing Drive infrastructure.

Start your 14-day free trial of Orangedox Virtual Data Rooms and see what Orangedox can do for your business.

Orangedox provides one-click create virtual data rooms that are directly synced with your Google Drive folders.