The Tool Desk
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To stop sharing a Google Docs file, open its sharing settings, remove the specific person or change General access to Restricted. Those are separate controls: restricting link access does not remove named collaborators. To share the file again, add people by email or restore link access and choose a role.
Remove one person’s access on a computer
- In Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, or Slides, open or select the file and choose Share.
- Find the person in the sharing dialog and open the dropdown beside their name.
- Choose Remove access, then save the change.
If you cannot change sharing settings, you may not have sufficient permissions. Google identifies the owner and people with edit access as able to change sharing permissions; ask the owner or an authorized editor to remove the person.
Turn off access for anyone with the link
- Open the file’s sharing dialog and locate General access.
- Change the setting to Restricted.
- Click Done.
Google Docs Editors Help says that when an item’s general access is Restricted, “only people with access can open the file.” Named collaborators who already have access may still be able to open it, so remove those people separately if you want only a particular set of people to retain access. Google’s sharing instructions cover both general access and individual permissions.
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Share the file again
Give access to specific people
- Open Share and add the recipient’s email address.
- Choose the least-permissive role that meets the recipient’s needs:
- Viewer to read the file.
- Commenter to read and add comments.
- Editor to make changes.
Send or share the invitation. Work or school account administrators may limit sharing outside the organization.
Restore link sharing
- In the sharing dialog, change General access to Anyone with the link, if that option is available.
- Choose the appropriate role: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
- Copy the link and click Done.
Anyone with the link may have access at the role you selected, so use this option only when link-based access suits your needs. If the setting is unavailable on a work or school account, the administrator may have restricted external sharing. See Google’s instructions for sharing Drive files.
If someone can still access the file
Check the parent folder
A person may have access through the folder containing the document. Google says folder permissions are inherited by items inside it, so removing a person from the file or restricting its general access may not cancel access granted by the parent folder. Review the folder’s sharing settings and change access there if appropriate. Google’s sharing help explains inherited permissions.
Check whether the document is published to the web
Publishing a document to the web is distinct from sharing it through the ordinary sharing dialog. If the file was published, use the document’s publishing controls to stop publishing; changing the usual sharing settings alone is not the same action. Google provides instructions for publishing or unpublishing files.
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Use the Drive app on Android
On Android, open the file’s Manage access panel in Drive. From there, you can remove a person or change general access to Restricted. The mobile interface differs from the desktop steps above. Google’s Drive sharing help includes mobile guidance.
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What stopping access does—and does not—do
- Deleting is not a substitute for revoking access. Google notes that deleting a file you do not own removes it from your Drive but does not stop other collaborators from accessing it. Change sharing permissions instead.
- Access controls cannot prevent every copy of the content. Owners can limit in-product download, print, and copy options for some roles, but Google notes that people may still share content in other ways. See Google’s guidance on limiting file actions.
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