Overview
Google Drive provides two locations for storing and collaborating on data: My Drive and shared drives. Files and folders in My Drive are owned by an individual U-M Google account, whereas files/folders in shared drives are owned by a group or team. Refer below for a table that outlines the key differences between U-M Google shared drives and My Drive. Also, refer to Shared Drives in U-M Google for more information on shared drives and how to create them.
Comparison Table
| My Drive | Shared Drives | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns files and folders? | The individual who created the file or folder | The team/group |
|
Can I restore files and folders? |
Yes, if you created the file or folder |
Yes, if you have the role of Manager, Content Manager, or Contributor in the shared drive |
| Can I move files and folders? |
Yes |
Within shared drives: Yes, if you have the Manager or Content Manager role in the shared drive. From My Drive to shared drives:
From shared drive to shared drive: Yes, if you have the Manager role in both shared drives. |
| How long do deleted files stay in the trash? | Files in the My Drive trash folder are permanently deleted after 30 days. | Each shared drive has its own trash. Only members with the role of Manager or Content Manager can delete files. After 30 days, all files/folders in the trash are permanently deleted. Members with the role of Manager, Content Manager, or Contributor can restore shared drive content from the trash. |
| Sharing | Depending on their access to individual files, different people might see different files in a folder. It is also possible to share at the folder level inside My Drive. | All team members (at the shared drive level) see the same set of files/folders. It is possible to share at the file and subfolder levels with someone not in your shared drive for more granular permissions. |
| Inherited permissions |
Permissions at the folder level are passed down to files created in the folder. However, this does not apply to ownership. Files within a folder can have different owners than the owner of the folder in which they reside. |
Permissions set on a specific file or folder in My Drive will be retained when moved to a shared drive. However, inherited permissions from a parent folder will not be retained when moved. Example: If Person A is not a member of the shared drive, but they are an Editor on a file moved to the shared drive, Person A will maintain access to the file after it moves to the drive. |
| Attaching a Google file to a Google Calendar invite | Navigate to any My Drive file from within a calendar invite using the Add attachment (paperclip) icon. | Navigate to any shared drive from within a calendar invite using the Add attachment (paperclip) icon. |
| Mobile device support | Yes |
Yes |