Google Drive consists of two locations where files can be stored: My Drive and Shared Drives.
All Via files should be stored in Shared Drives and not in My Drive.
Using Google Shared Drives to share documents with others:
Go to https://drive.google.com or click on the Drive link at the top when logged into Gmail.
This is the web interface to your files in Google Drive. On the left under Shared Drives you should see several folders. Each of these top-level folders have permissions that are managed by the Tech team during staff onboarding and offboarding. There should be a top-level folder for the team you are working with (if not contact [email protected] and we may be able to create one).
Locate the Shared Drive for your team (e.g., CMT). In this folder you can create subfolders to keep your files organized. Please do your best to keep the files organized so it is easy for others to find them.
Subfolders and individual files can also be shared with others that are not included in the sharing permissions for the top-level folder. To do this, right-click the subfolder or file and select Share.
When you create a new file, first navigate to the folder where you want it to be stored, then select New in the upper left corner.
Google File Stream
Next, you should install the Google File Stream application on your computer using these instructions: Google Drive for Desktop Installation
Now you should see a folder on your computer in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) called Google Drive. You will see all documents there in the Shared Drive folder. You can see all the document and folder names here but they are not actually downloaded to your computer until you access them. Google Drive for Desktop manages when files are downloaded automatically and cleans them up automatically to save space on your hard drive. But they are always synced to the Google cloud and are safe and can be accessed from anywhere (other computers or browsers). The files you see here are identical to what you see when you access Google Drive from your web browser as described above. But the advantage here is that you can easily open and edit files without downloading and re-uploading them.
You can create and edit documents here that you want to share with the team.
We encourage you to create documents in Google formats instead of Microsoft Office formats as much as possible. They are easier to share, collaborate in real-time and are more secure if your laptop is ever stolen.
Do your best to keep these folders organized. All CMM files should be stored in Shared Drives and not in My Drive to ensure proper backup protection and prevent file permissions issues.
Adding Folder Shortcuts
Right Click on the folder you want to create the shortcut for
Click on Add Shortcut to Drive
Click on Shared Folders in the menu that pops up
Click on the Shared folder you would like to add the shortcut to and continue going through the folders until you get to the one you want to add the shortcut to
Click the Add Shortcut button at the bottom of the box
Browse to the folder that you just added the shortcut to and make sure you can see the folder shortcut there
Links to information for the basic use of Google Drive
Deploy Drive File Stream
What are shared drives?
How to use Google Drive on Android and iPhone