Visitor Sharing in Google Drive

Visitor sharing allows you to invite people outside the university who don’t have a Google account to collaborate on Google Docs, Sheets, and more.

Sharing is no longer restricted to users who have Google accounts. A visitor can have any type of account and will verify their identity using a PIN.

This allows you to still see who has access and what changes are made to files.

How to Share Files With a Visitor

Sharing files with a visitor works exactly the same as sharing with other users.

1. Go to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
2. Click the file you want to share.
3. Click Share.
4. Under “Share with people and groups,” enter the non-Google email address you want to share with.
5. To change the level of access, on the right, click the drop down and then select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
6. Choose to notify people.
7. Click Share or Send.

Note: Visitors cannot create their own files or folders, but they can delete their visitor session.

Supported File Types

The following file types in My Drive and Shared Drives can be shared with visitors:

• Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites
• Images such as JPEGs
• PDFs
• Office files
• Video
• Folders

How to Collaborate as a Visitor

When you receive an email invitation to collaborate as a visitor, you will need to verify your identity with a PIN.

1. In your email inbox, open the email from Google.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Send.
4. In your email inbox, open the verification code email.
5. Copy the verification code.
6. Return to the other browser tab and enter the verification code in the box provided.
7. Click Next.

This verification process allows you to collaborate for 7 days. After that time, you can return to the original sharing email and verify your identity again.

Visit the Google Workspace Learning Center to learn more about how to share files with visitors.