Environment
U-M Google, My Drive. shared drives
Issue
What are "limited access" folders? Can I use this feature in My Drive? In shared drives?
Resolution
Google allows shared drive Managers and My Drive folder owners to limit/restrict access to folders for specific individuals (even if they have access to the parent folder or drive). Folders with limited access can only be opened by people who have been added to it directly. People with general access to the shared drive or parent My Drive shared folder can view the restricted folder but cannot open it. Refer to the Google Help Center to learn more about limiting access to folders in My Drive and shared drives.
Key feature information includes:
- The “limit access” feature is only available on folders, not files.
- The workaround for files is to create a new subfolder with limited access and move the file into the subfolder.
- Shared drive Managers can always access folders with limited access. You cannot remove a Manager’s access to a shared drive folder.
- Folder owners can always access the folders they’ve limited access to in My Drive. You cannot remove an owner’s access to a folder they own.
- The restricted folder (including its name) is always visible to people with general access to the shared drive or parent shared folder.
- People who don’t have access to the folder can click Request access to send an email to the owner.
- “Editors can change permissions and share” must be checked in the folder’s settings before Editors can manage limited access settings for the My Drive folder they’re shared on.
- “Allow content managers to share folders” must be checked in the shared drive’s settings before Content Managers can manage limited access settings for subfolders they’re shared on in the drive.
- Everyone who inherited access to a subfolder but then had their access limited on it will appear under the new “Access removed” tab in the sharing dialog for the folder owner/shared drive Manager(s) and Editors/Content Managers (if applicable) of the subfolder.
- Individuals with permission to restrict access on a parent shared folder can no longer see the “Update item only”/ “Remove from item” options. An individual’s permissions on the parent shared folder will now always cascade down to every file and folder within it. The only situation this wouldn’t occur is if you create a limited access folder and restrict their access to the files within that folder.
- Pre-existing files that were updated before this change on September 22, 2025, won’t update their permissions to match the parent, even if you move them within the shared folder. Google intends to address pre-existing files in 2026.
- Files with the “Allow editors to change permissions and share” setting turned OFF as of September 22, 2025, have been updated in the following ways:
- When a file has this setting turned off and the owner moves it into a shared folder, any changes made to the parent shared folder’s access afterward will also be applied to the file. (Previously, those changes were only applied if the file’s owner was the one making the folder access change.)
- Google automatically applied limited access to individual files that had this setting turned OFF as of October 8, 2025. The file owner will still be the only person who can share these files. Limited access will not be applied to files that turn the setting off after October 8.
- Note: You can’t apply limited access to an individual file yourself. Only Google can do this as part of system-wide permission upgrades like this one. If you’d like to apply limited access to an individual file after October 8, follow Google’s guidance on moving it to a limited access folder.
- According to Google, when they automatically apply limited access to an individual file within a shared folder, it remains hidden from people with access to that shared folder. The automatic change doesn’t change who can access the file.
Additional Information
Previously, a version of this feature was available only for files and folders in My Drive. However, this feature now applies to shared drives and streamlines the process in My Drive.
Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.