BeginnerLesson 2 of 58 min
Can a group own a folder?
No. Here is what to do instead, and why it works better.
In My Drive, every file and folder has exactly one owner, and that owner is always a single person. A group can be given Editor, Commenter or Viewer access. It can never be the owner, and ownership cannot be transferred to a group.
That matters because files owned by a person are tied to that person's account. When the account goes, the files are at risk.
The real answer is a shared drive
A shared drive is owned by the company, not by anyone in it. Add a group to the shared drive as Manager and you have what people mean when they say the group owns the folder. The group controls it, and nothing is ever stranded with one person.
| You want | Do this |
|---|---|
| A team to own its files | Create a shared drive. Add the team's manager group as Manager. |
| The team to edit | Add the team's group as Content manager. |
| Others to read | Add a group as Viewer. |
| A new hire to get access | Add them to the group. Do not touch the drive. |
Finished this lesson?
Facts checked November 12, 2026