Google Shared Drives at NC State

Google Shared Drives are available for users in our NC State domain and can be created by the end user. A Shared Drive can be used for a project, committee, department, or other purpose and are recommended for business continuity.

Before you create a shared drive

Please consider the following:

  • A Shared Drive, and all associated files, is owned by the domain (NC State) rather than an individual.
  • A Shared Drive must have at least one Manager.
    • Multiple Managers are recommended. There is no limit to how many Managers can be assigned.
  • Folders and documents stored in a Shared Drive can be accessed by all the Shared Drive members.
  • Folder-level access can be granted to non-members, unless otherwise restricted at the Shared Drive level. 
  • Individual file access can be granted to non-members, unless otherwise restricted at the Shared Drive level.
  • Users outside of the NC State domain can be members of a Shared Drive if they have a Google account and outside membership is not restricted at the Shared Drive level.
  • Folder Migration Permission (previously “Primary Organizer”) can be granted for a limited two week period.
  • Content in a shared drive is stored in Vault for e-discovery and retention.
  • NC State may modify Shared Drive settings for university compliance purposes.

Shared drive best practices

  • Before migrating content, identify individuals to be initially included and add members to the Shared Drive. 
  • Designate at least one additional Manager (if not more).
  • OIT recommends using a Google Group to manage a Shared Drive, especially if it has a large membership and varying permissions. If you do not have a Google Group, you can request one via Web Registry.
  • As with Google Drives, Shared Drives are approved as a cloud storage option for Red Level Data and below. See Determining Sensitivity Levels for Shared Data for details.
  • See Shared Drives limits for information on data migration and content organization.

Folder migration permissions

Request Folder Migration permission for yourself or another user to assist with content migration. For graduating students and others who may need to transfer items to a personal Google account, use Google Takeout.

Folder Migration permissions include the following:

  • Ability to migrate folders and subfolders of content as long as they have View access.
  • Permission is granted for a limited two-week period.

This elevated permission should be requested for the Shared Drive’s subject matter expert (not necessarily your IT contact). This person should have expertise about where relative folders/files are currently located and what should be migrated.

Once Folder Migration Permission is granted, the user should work with the Shared Drive members to identify content that will be migrated during the initial two-week period and communicate with all Shared Drive members once the drive is available.

Note: Permission should be granted within two to four business days of submitting the request.

Additional drive information

For more about the differences between a Shared Drive and My Drive, visit: