Sharing Drive Files

Share files and folders with teammates, external guests, or the public — directly from FanDesk without leaving your workflow.

Permission Levels

FanDesk uses Google Drive's native permission model:

Use the minimum permission level needed. For external or untrusted recipients, always default to Viewer.

Sharing with Team Members

Quick Share

1. Right-click any file and click Share (or select the file and click the share icon)
2. In the share dialog, type a teammate's name or email — autocomplete pulls from your FanDesk team directory
3. Select the permission level: Viewer, Commenter, or Editor
4. Optionally add a message (sent with the share notification)
5. Click Share

The recipient receives a notification inside FanDesk and an email notification from Google.

Sharing a Folder

Sharing a folder grants the recipient access to everything inside it now and in the future:

1. Right-click the folder > Share
2. Add recipients and set permission level
3. Click Share

New files added to the folder automatically inherit the folder's sharing settings.

Sharing with External Guests

Share files with people outside your organization — no FanDesk account required:

1. Right-click the file > Share
2. Type the external email address
3. Select permission level
4. Click Share

The external guest receives a Google Drive share notification by email and can access the file with their Google account (or view-only without a Google account, depending on settings).

Link Sharing

Generate a shareable link for broader distribution:

Enable Link Sharing

1. Open the file's share dialog
2. Toggle Anyone with the link
3. Set the permission level for link holders:
   • Viewer — Anyone with the link can view
   • Commenter — Anyone can view and comment
   • Editor — Anyone can edit (use with caution)
4. Copy the link to share

Link Sharing Options

Links do not expire by default. For sensitive content, consider managing access manually rather than using open links.

Security tip: Default to Viewer permission for link sharing. Only use Editor permission for internal team links where trust is established.

Managing File Permissions

View Current Permissions

1. Right-click the file > Share
2. The share dialog shows all current permissions:
   • Individual people with access and their permission levels
   • Whether link sharing is enabled and at what level
   • The owner of the file

Change Someone's Permission Level

1. Open the share dialog
2. Find the person in the permissions list
3. Click the permission dropdown next to their name
4. Select the new level
5. Changes take effect immediately

Remove Access

1. Open the share dialog
2. Find the person in the list
3. Click the permission dropdown > Remove access
4. They immediately lose the ability to view or edit the file

Transfer Ownership

You can transfer file ownership to another Google user within your organization:

1. Open share dialog
2. Click the permission dropdown next to a current Editor
3. Select Make Owner
4. Confirm the transfer

Note: Once you transfer ownership, you become an editor of the file, not the owner.

Shared Drives (Team Drives)

Google Workspace Shared Drives are team-owned file repositories where files belong to the team, not to any individual:

Accessing Shared Drives

1. Click Shared Drives in the Drive sidebar section
2. All team drives you have access to appear in a list
3. Click any drive to browse its contents

Key Differences from My Drive

Shared Drives are managed by your Google Workspace admin.

Linking Files to FanDesk Work Items

Sharing a file with teammates is most useful when the file is also connected to the relevant work context:

Attach to Task

When you share a file related to a task, also attach it to the task:

1. Open the task
2. Click Attach Drive File
3. Select the file
4. Teammates can now access the file directly from the task without hunting through Drive

Link to Project

For files relevant to an entire project:

1. Open project settings > Drive Folder
2. Link the project to the folder containing related files
3. All project members can access the folder from the project page

Via DeskMate

• "Share the Q4 roadmap with Sarah as an editor"
• "Who has access to the product spec file?"
• "Remove John's access to the confidential budget sheet"

File Permissions in the Context of Tasks

When you attach a Drive file to a FanDesk task, the file permission is separate from task access:

• A person can see the task without having Drive access to the attached file
• A person can have Drive access to a file without being on the FanDesk task
• Grant Drive permissions explicitly to anyone who needs to edit the file

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Next: Learn about team collaboration in People Directory.