What is the difference between My Drive, Shared Drives, and Shared with me?

Google users store files in My Drive or a Shared Drive. Users may also have access to files Shared with me. 

image of My drive, shared drive and shared with me.

My Drive

My Drive is your primary space in Google Drive and contains files and folders that you own and you control access to.

  • You are able to share access and permissions to your docs and only the files and folders you share will be accessible to others. You can grant others the following permissions:
    • Viewer – Viewers have the lowest level of sharing access, and can only view a shared file.
    • Commenter – Commenters can view, comment, and make suggestions on a shared file. They can not edit the file or share it with others.
    • Editor – By default, Editors can make changes, accept or reject suggestions, and share the file with others.
  • If you change ownership of a file from yourself to someone else, the file will be removed from your My Drive. Others can change ownership of their files to you and they will appear in your My Drive. 

Shared Drives

Shared Drives are special folders in Google Drive that you can use to store and collaborate on files within a department, unit, or team. Unlike in My Drive, Shared Drives and their contents are owned by the university instead of individuals.

  • If members leave, the files stay in the Shared Drive so your group can keep sharing content and information without interruption.
  • Once you are a member of a Shared Drive, the drive will appear below your My Drive and above “Shared with me” in your Google Drive in the sidebar. 

Shared with me

Shared with me is not an actual drive but are files and folders owned by other people or organizations and shared with you.

  • You will only find files and folders shared specifically with you and any files that are shared with the UNC Charlotte community or the public that you have opened.
  • Your access to these files can be rescinded at any time by the owner or other editors.
  • If you want to organize these files in your My Drive, you cannot move them but you can create a Shortcut to the file which you can put wherever you like. 
    • Note that if you lose access to the original file, the shortcut will no longer work.
Print Article