How to prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files and changing access
Picture a small business owner who shares a pricing folder with a bookkeeper as an Editor. A month later, the same folder is open to an outside email address nobody recognizes. The bookkeeper did nothing wrong: Google lets Editors share by default. This guide shows how to prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files and folders, what that setting does not change, and how to check what is already shared.
In this guide
- Why editors can share your files by default
- Step 1: Open sharing settings on the file or folder
- Step 2: Prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files
- Step 3: Limit sharing outside your organization
- Step 4: Choose roles that match the job
- Step 5: Check what editors have already shared
- Use Wistorix to review access by email and change roles in bulk
- Frequently asked questions
Why editors can share your files by default
Drive gives each person a role on a file or folder. According to Google's page on sharing files from Drive, a Viewer can view the file or folder and open all files within a shared folder, but cannot share it. A Commenter can make comments and suggestions on files. An Editor can open, edit, delete or move any files within the folder, as well as add new files.
The part that surprises many owners is one more line on the same page: Editors can also change permissions and share items with others by default. So an Editor you trust to fix a spreadsheet can also invite someone you have never met. That is why you may want to prevent editors from sharing Google Drive items that hold sensitive data.
For a small business, that is a lot of trust to hand out by default. Client contracts, price lists and payroll files often sit in a few shared folders, and nobody checks who added whom. The fix is a setting you can turn off in a minute.
Step 1: Open sharing settings on the file or folder
To prevent editors from sharing Google Drive content, start with the files that matter most, such as the folder with client contracts or the price list. Select the file or folder and open the Share dialog. In Google's page on stopping, limiting or changing sharing, the steps for this setting begin with one instruction: go to Settings.
Take a minute to look at who is listed in the dialog and at the General access line before you change anything. Google describes Restricted as access only for people who have been given access. It describes Anyone with the link as open to anyone on the internet who has the link, without signing in to a Google Account.
If you use a work or school account, your organization may limit how you can share files externally, according to the same page. That means what you see can depend on your administrator, so do not be surprised if a choice is missing.
Step 2: Prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files
Inside Settings, Google's instruction is short: uncheck Allow editors to change permissions and share. Once that box is cleared, Editors can still work on the content, but changing permissions and sharing is no longer on their list.
This is how you prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files without taking away their ability to edit. You do it per file or per folder, so start with the folders that hold sensitive material.
Google also notes two things about folders. When you share a folder, all files and subfolders inside it inherit those same sharing permissions. And if your file is inside a shared folder, the folder's permissions override any settings you choose for the file. So set the option on the folder first, then test it.
To test, open the item with a second account that has Editor access, such as a spare email of your own. Check whether the Share button still lets that account invite people or change permissions. If it does, go back to Settings and confirm the box is cleared on the folder that holds the file.
- Clear the box on the folder, not only on single files.
- Test with a second account before you tell the team.
- Re-check after you move a file into a different folder.
Step 3: Limit sharing outside your organization
Turning off editor sharing closes one path. Link settings are another, so look at General access on sensitive folders and prefer Restricted over Anyone with the link. If you need a refresher on the difference, read how a public Google Drive link differs from Restricted.
On a work or school account, your administrator may also restrict external link sharing, per Google. Admins set those limits at the organization level, so a regular user cannot change them from a single file. If a sharing option is greyed out or missing, ask whoever manages your Google Workspace.
| Who | What they control | Where Google says it |
|---|---|---|
| Editor, box still ticked | Can change permissions and share items with others by default | Roles on the sharing page |
| Editor, box cleared | Can edit, but the option to change permissions and share is turned off for that item | Prevent Editors from sharing steps |
| Administrator (work or school account) | May restrict external link sharing | Notes for work or school accounts |
Use the table as a map of who can open which door. If the sharing rules in your company are not written down anywhere, our Google Drive security audit checklist is a good place to start writing them.
Step 4: Choose roles that match the job
Many sharing problems start with a role that is higher than the job needs. Give Viewer to people who only read, and Commenter to people who review and leave suggestions. Keep Editor for the few people who actually change the file.
Decide a default role for vendors and contractors before the next project starts. A simple rule works well: outside people get Viewer or Commenter unless someone on your side asks for more. Write the rule where your team will see it, such as the project brief or your onboarding email.
Roles are cheap to change later, so start low. A low role plus the option to prevent editors from sharing Google Drive folders keeps most access decisions with you. If a contractor really needs to edit, raise the role for that one folder and lower it again when the work ends.
Step 5: Check what editors have already shared
Even after you prevent editors from sharing Google Drive files, past sharing stays in place. Google's steps change the setting on the item. They do not say that anyone already added is removed, so past sharing needs its own check. Select a key folder, open its details panel on the right and click Manage access, which is where Google says to find who has access.
Look for email addresses you do not recognize, especially personal or outside domains. Remove access you no longer need, and lower any role that is higher than the person's job. Do the same for files inside the folder that were shared separately.
Then repeat the check on a schedule you choose, for example monthly, with a calendar reminder. A short, regular look is easier to keep up than one large review, and the guide to a monthly Google Drive sharing audit shows how to keep it short.
Use Wistorix to review access by email and change roles in bulk
Checking one folder at a time works for a handful of items. When your Drive has hundreds, a tool helps. Wistorix is a Chrome extension that scans your Drive and lists files by sharing permission, and it flags files shared publicly or outside your organization for review. It reads only file information such as name, size, owner and sharing settings, not file contents.
You can also review by email: pick a person, such as an account manager or a vendor, and see which files that account currently has access to. After you look over the list and choose the files, you can revoke access or change roles between viewer, commenter and editor in bulk. Wistorix does not block editors from resharing, so keep the Settings step above.
Use the setting to prevent editors from sharing Google Drive items going forward, and use the review to clean up what is already shared. See how this fits a team without IT in Wistorix for small business, or read about the sharing risk scan. Review access now.
Frequently asked questions
Can I prevent editors from sharing Google Drive folders?
Yes. Open the Share dialog, go to Settings and uncheck Allow editors to change permissions and share. Do it on the folder, because folder permissions override settings on files inside it.
Does this setting apply to files already shared?
Google's steps change the setting on the item and do not say that anyone already added loses access. Open Manage access on key folders and remove outside emails or lower roles yourself.
Who can still change sharing after I turn it off?
Editors cannot change permissions or share on that item once the box is cleared. You can still manage access from the Share dialog. On work or school accounts, your administrator's rules, such as limits on external link sharing, still apply.
Can Wistorix show who edited a file or who reshared it?
No. Wistorix shows who currently has access to a file, not who changed or shared it. For edit history, use Google's Activity and Version history.
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