Google: Claim a Shared Drive With No Eligible Managers

Environment

U-M Google, shared drives

Issue

My Google shared drive has disappeared from my Google Drive because it lost all eligible Managers. How can it be claimed so it isn't deleted?

Resolution

Google shared drives with no eligible Managers (i.e., faculty, regular staff, and students) are deactivated within 24 hours of losing eligibility. This is aimed at preventing the deletion of data stored in these shared drives that eligible collaborators are still using at the university.

  • Within 24 hours of becoming ineligible - Shared drive access is restricted. Members/collaborators will notice that it and its contents have disappeared from Google Drive.
  • Within 90 days of ineligibility - An eligible Content Manager (i.e., faculty, regular staff, or student) must claim the shared drive using the ITS Shared Drive Manager tool before 90 days are up.
    • If you are unsure whether you are a Content Manager, contact the ITS Service Center for assistance. They can assist in determining who can claim the shared drive.
      • If you are NOT an eligible Content Manager AND there are eligible Content Managers remaining, you, as a collaborator with an active university role (i.e., not alum or retiree), must work with the remaining Content Managers to request that they claim the drive using the tool.
      • If you are NOT an eligible Content Manager AND there are NO eligible Content Managers remaining, you must reach out to your department to determine if the content should be transferred and to whom. This will require HR approval and a request submission by your HR personnel.
      • If you do NOT have an active university role (i.e., alum or retiree) AND the data is university business, you must do one of the following:
        • Contact an eligible Content Manager and ask them to claim the drive using the tool.
        • Contact a collaborator who does have an active role (if no eligible Content Managers remain) and ask them to request a submission from their HR department.
        • Contact your previous department's HR and ask them to submit a request.
  • After 90 days of ineligibility - The shared drive and all its content are considered abandoned and deleted.

Important things to note:

  • If at least one eligible Manager exists, the drive is not considered ineligible. You should add a second eligible Manager as soon as possible.
  • If a Manager regains an eligible role, the drive will not be listed in the Shared Drive Manager tool until it is claimed. They will still have 90 days post-ineligibility to claim it or risk deletion.
  • The shared drive will not be restored via HR request if it's for personal, non-university use.

Claim the shared drive

An eligible Content Manager should follow the steps below to claim the shared drive before it is deleted:

  1. Go to the ITS Shared Drive Manager tool.
  2. Click Claim a shared drive
  3. Select the affected shared drive from the first drop-down menu provided.
  4. Select your school, college, or unit from the drop-down menu provided.
  5. Current Managers will auto-populate in the field provided.
    • Remove ineligible individuals (i.e., temporary staff, sponsored affiliates, alumni, and retirees) from the list.
    • Enter the uniqname(s) of at least one other eligible individual (in addition to yourself).
  6. Select I Confirm from the confirmation drop-down.
  7. Click Claim shared drive.

It may take up to 24 hours for all settings and access in the shared drive to be restored. (Note that if your shared drive had a legacy storage limit before it lost all eligible Managers, the legacy limit will be restored.)

Additional Information

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

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