Google Drive Permissions Explained: Viewer, Commenter, Editor, and Owner

Google Drive has four permission levels: Viewer (can only view), Commenter (can view and comment), Editor (can view, comment, and edit), and Owner (full control including sharing and deletion). When you share a folder, everyone with access to that folder automatically gets the same access to everything inside it—this is called inherited permissions.

Understanding these levels prevents two common mistakes: giving people more access than they need, and accidentally restricting collaborators who need to edit.

The Four Permission Levels

Viewer

What Viewers can do:

Open and read files
Download files (unless restricted)
Print files (unless restricted)
Make a copy to their own Drive

What Viewers cannot do:

Edit content
Leave comments
Share with others (unless allowed)
Delete files
See version history details

Best for: Distributing final documents, sharing reference materials, giving read-only access to sensitive information.

Commenter

What Commenters can do:

Everything Viewers can do
Add comments and suggestions
Reply to existing comments
Resolve their own comments

What Commenters cannot do:

Edit content directly
Accept or reject suggestions (only Editors/Owners can)
Share with others (unless allowed)
Delete files

Best for: Review workflows, getting feedback without risking unwanted edits, collaborative documents where you want tracked input.

Editor

What Editors can do:

Everything Commenters can do
Edit content directly
Accept or reject suggestions
Add and remove other people (unless restricted)
Move files to different folders (with some limitations)
See full version history

What Editors cannot do:

Delete files permanently (only move to their own Trash)
Transfer ownership
Change the owner's sharing settings

Best for: Collaborative work, team documents, anything requiring direct editing by multiple people.

Owner

What Owners can do:

Everything Editors can do
Delete files permanently
Transfer ownership to someone else
Control all sharing settings
Restrict download, print, and copy options
Prevent Editors from changing sharing

Important: Every file has exactly one Owner. For personal Drive files, the Owner is whoever created or uploaded the file. Ownership can be transferred, but there's always only one.

Note: Shared Drives work differently—files in Shared Drives are owned by the organization, not individuals.

How Folder Permissions Work

This is where most confusion happens.

Inheritance: Folder Access = File Access

When you share a folder, everyone with access automatically gets the same permission level for everything inside:

📁 Project Folder (shared with Alex as Editor)
   ├── 📄 Document.docx      ← Alex is Editor
   ├── 📄 Spreadsheet.xlsx   ← Alex is Editor
   └── 📁 Subfolder          ← Alex is Editor
       └── 📄 Notes.docx     ← Alex is Editor

You don't need to share each file individually. Add files to a shared folder, and they're automatically accessible to everyone with folder access.

Adding Permissions (But Not Removing)

You can give someone more access to a specific file than they have to the folder:

📁 Project Folder (shared with Alex as Viewer)
   ├── 📄 Overview.docx      ← Alex is Viewer (inherited)
   └── 📄 Editable.docx      ← Alex is Editor (you added extra access)

But you cannot give someone less access to a file than they have to its parent folder. If Alex is an Editor on the folder, you can't make them a Viewer on a file inside it.

The Solution for Restricted Files

If certain files need restricted access:

Don't put them in the shared folder. Keep sensitive files in a separate location.
Use a different folder structure. Create a subfolder that's shared with fewer people.
Share the folder with lower permissions and grant higher permissions to specific files as needed.

Sharing Options Beyond Permission Levels

Permission levels control what someone can do. Sharing settings control who can access.

Restricted (Specific People)

Only people you explicitly add can access
Most secure option
You control exactly who sees the file
Default for new files

Anyone with the Link

Anyone who has the link can access
No sign-in required (depending on settings)
You can't see who accessed it
Link can be forwarded to others

Risk: Once shared, you can't control who the link reaches. Someone could forward it, post it publicly, or share it unintentionally.

Anyone on the Web (Public)

File is indexed and discoverable
Anyone can find and access it
Appropriate only for intentionally public content
Available for Google Workspace accounts with admin permission

Checking Current Permissions

For a Single File

Right-click the file → Share → Share
See list of people with access
See their permission level next to their name
See general access setting at the bottom ("Restricted" or "Anyone with the link")

For Multiple Files

Google Drive doesn't offer a built-in way to audit permissions across many files at once. You'd need to check each file individually, which becomes impractical with hundreds of files.

For bulk permission auditing, see Who Has Access to My Google Drive Files?

Changing Permissions

Upgrading or Downgrading Access

Right-click the file → Share → Share
Find the person in the list
Click their current permission level
Select new level (Viewer, Commenter, Editor)
Click Save

Removing Access Entirely

Right-click the file → Share → Share
Find the person
Click their permission level
Select Remove access
Click Save

Removing Inherited Access

If someone has access through a folder, you can't remove their access to individual files. You need to either:

Remove them from the parent folder (removes all access)
Move the file out of the shared folder
Change the folder's sharing settings

Additional Sharing Controls

Owners and Editors can set additional restrictions.

Prevent Editors from Changing Sharing

Open sharing settings
Click the gear icon (⚙️)
Uncheck "Editors can change permissions and share"
Now only the Owner can add or remove people

Useful when you want help editing but don't want collaborators adding others.

Disable Download, Print, and Copy

Open sharing settings
Click the gear icon (⚙️)
Uncheck "Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy"

Limitations:

Only applies to Viewers and Commenters
Editors can still download
Determined users can still screenshot or copy content manually
Doesn't work for all file types

Set Expiration Dates

For Google Workspace accounts, you can set access to expire:

Open sharing settings
Click the dropdown next to a person's permission
Select Add expiration
Choose a date

Access automatically revokes on that date. Useful for temporary collaborators, contractors, or time-limited projects.

Shared Drives: Different Rules

Google Workspace's Shared Drives have a different permission model.

Shared Drive Permission Levels

Level	Capabilities
Viewer	View files only
Commenter	View and comment
Contributor	View, comment, edit, add files
Content Manager	Above + move/delete files, moderate
Manager	Full control including member management

Key Differences from Personal Drive

Files are owned by the organization, not individuals
Members have consistent access to everything in the Shared Drive
You can't share individual files with people outside the Shared Drive's membership
Deleted files go to Shared Drive Trash, not personal Trash

Common Permission Mistakes

Mistake 1: Over-Sharing with "Anyone with Link"

Problem: You share a file with "Anyone with the link" for convenience, then forget about it. The link spreads, and unintended people access your file.

Fix: Default to "Restricted" sharing. Only use link sharing when truly necessary, and review link-shared files periodically.

Mistake 2: Making Everyone an Editor

Problem: You give Editor access to everyone because "they might need to edit something." Now anyone can accidentally delete content, accept bad suggestions, or share with others.

Fix: Start with Viewer or Commenter. Upgrade to Editor only for people who actually need to edit.

Mistake 3: Forgetting Folder Inheritance

Problem: You share a folder with your team, then add a sensitive file to it. The team can now see the sensitive file.

Fix: Keep sensitive files in separate, restricted folders. Think about inheritance before adding files to shared folders.

Mistake 4: Not Removing Former Collaborators

Problem: Old contractors, former employees, or past clients still have access to files months or years later.

Fix: Audit sharing periodically. Remove access when collaboration ends. See How to Revoke Google Drive Access for Former Employees.

Mistake 5: Confusing Ownership with Editing Rights

Problem: You give someone Editor access thinking they can now "own" the file. But they can't control sharing settings or delete it permanently.

Fix: If someone needs full control, transfer ownership. If they just need to edit, Editor is sufficient.

Auditing Permissions at Scale

With hundreds or thousands of files, checking permissions manually isn't realistic.

Signs you need a permission audit:

You've shared files with "Anyone with the link" and lost track of which ones
Former collaborators might still have access
You're not sure what's in shared folders
You've never reviewed sharing settings since creating files

Overdrive scans your entire Google Drive and shows all sharing—who has access to what, which files are public, and where your security gaps are. One scan reveals permission issues that would take hours to find manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see who viewed my file?

For Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms: File → See version history or Activity dashboard shows who viewed and when (for people with Google accounts). For other file types, there's no built-in view tracking.

Can Editors delete files?

Editors can move files to Trash, which removes them from the shared location. However, the Owner can recover files from their own Trash. Editors cannot permanently delete files they don't own.

What happens when I remove someone's access?

They immediately lose access. If they have the file open, they'll see it but won't be able to make changes or reopen it. They won't be notified that access was removed.

Can I share a file with someone who doesn't have a Google account?

Yes, but with limitations. Set sharing to "Anyone with the link," and they can view. For editing, they'll need a Google account. Some file types support anonymous editing with link access.

How do I transfer ownership?

Share the file with the new owner as Editor
Open sharing settings
Click the dropdown next to their name
Select "Transfer ownership"
They'll need to accept the transfer

Note: You can only transfer ownership to someone with a Google account. After transfer, you become an Editor (unless they remove you).

Do permissions apply to files inside a shortcut?

Shortcuts don't affect permissions. The shortcut is just a pointer—the original file's sharing settings apply wherever the shortcut appears.

Keep Reading

Who Has Access to My Google Drive Files? — Find every shared file in your Drive
How to Find Externally Shared Files in Google Drive — Audit external sharing
Google Drive Security Audit Checklist — Complete security review process