BeginnerLesson 1 of 310 min
My Drive versus shared drives
My Drive is your desk. A shared drive is the company filing room.
Google Drive has two very different places to keep files, and choosing the right one prevents most file problems a company ever has.
| Topic | My Drive | Shared drive |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the files | You, personally | The company |
| Who can see them | Only people you share with | Every member of the drive |
| When you leave | Files go with your account unless transferred | Nothing changes |
| Best for | Drafts, personal notes, work in progress | Anything the team relies on |
Other places in the Drive sidebar
- Shared with me. Files other people own and have shared with you. It is a list, not a folder you organize.
- Recent and Starred. Quick ways back to things you use.
- Shortcuts. A pointer to a file that lives somewhere else. Right-click a file, choose Organize, then Add shortcut.
Drive for desktop
Drive for desktop puts Drive in File Explorer or Finder as a drive letter. By default it streams files, which means they download only when you open them. You can mark files to keep offline. Shared drives always stream.
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Facts checked November 12, 2026