Set Sharing Expirations on Files and Folders in Shared Drives

What’s new?

If you’ve ever shared temporary access to a file in your shared drive and then forgotten to revoke it later, this update is for you. You can now set automatic expiration dates right from the sharing dialog when granting access to files or folders in shared drives.

For files, you can set an expiration on any sharing permission – whether someone is a viewer, commenter, or editor. For folders, you can set expirations specifically on the Viewer role.

Why does this matter?

Shared drives are where teams collaborate, which means access permissions can pile up quickly. A contractor who needed temporary access six months ago, a former employee’s personal account that still has viewer rights, or that quick share you made during a client meeting – they all add up to potential security risks.

With automatic expiration dates, you can grant temporary access with confidence, knowing it will automatically be revoked when it’s no longer needed. No more manual cleanup, no more forgotten permissions lingering indefinitely.

How it works

When you share a file or folder in a shared drive, you’ll see the option to set an expiration date in the sharing dialog. Here’s the smart part: when someone’s “Editor” access expires, they don’t get completely locked out. Instead, their permission automatically reverts to whatever access they have through the parent folder. So if they’re a viewer of the folder, they’ll remain a viewer of the file – they just lose their elevated editing privileges.

When can you use it?

This feature is rolling out gradually. If you’re on Rapid Release, rollout began on November 4, 2025. Scheduled Release domains started seeing it on November 18, 2025.

This update brings shared drives up to par with My Drive’s security capabilities, giving you better control over your team’s collaborative files. It’s a simple change that can make a real difference in keeping your shared content secure.

For more information, check out the Google Workspace update feed

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