Google: Sharing Drive Files/Folders with MCommunity Groups

Environment

Google, My Drive, shared drives, MCommunity

Issue

Can I share a Google Drive file/folder in My Drive or a shared drive with an MCommunity group?

Resolution

• Yes, you can share Google Drive files/folders stored in My Drive or a shared drive with an MCommunity group instead of granting each member individual access to each item.
• Note that while MCommunity groups can be shared on Drive files, they cannot own them.
• Important: If you restrict who can send email to your group, sharing notifications from Google stating that someone has shared a file/folder with the group in Drive will bounce/be blocked. (Even if the person who shared the item is a permitted sender to the group.)
  • Although the email appears to come from the individual who shared the item with the group, the address it is actually sent from is a unique identifier ending in "@google.com." (However, the group will still be shared on the item even if they don't receive a notification via email.)
  • There is no workaround for this other than removing the moderation settings.
  • If you share something with a moderated group, even if you yourself are allowed to send to the group, you will need to notify the members that you have shared something with them in Drive another way.
• The only scenario in which you may notice a group owning a Drive item is when the group is associated with a Google Shared Account.
  • However, these Shared Account groups do not function in the same way as regular groups because:
    • They do not sync membership to Google
    • Will not share files/folders with members of the group if used
    • Violate the appropriate use of Shared Accounts (which should not be used for storage in Google Drive or Photos)

Additional Information

Sharing with an MCommunity group that has an MCommunity group listed as a member (i.e., a subgroup) will provide access to the direct members of both MCommunity groups. 
(E.g., If MCommunity group B is a member of MCommunity group A, then the members of MCommunity Group A & B will gain access.) Again, this is not the case for MCommunity groups associated with Shared Accounts, as files will only be shared with the account itself, not its group members.

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.