Tag Archives: Google Drive

New beta available that restricts access to folders in Google Drive

What’s changing

If your admin has set up shared drives for their organization, shared drive managers were previously not able to restrict access to folders in shared drives. Today, we’re introducing a beta that allows shared drive managers to restrict folders to specific users within a shared drive. This provides shared drive managers with greater flexibility to keep relevant content within a single shared drive, while restricting access to shared folders with sensitive information. 

A folder with “limited access” can only be opened by people who have been added to it directly. People with general access to the shared drive or shared folder can see the restricted folder in Drive, but will not be able to open it. 

Eligible customers can use this form to express interest in the beta and will receive an email confirmation prior to the feature being enabled in their specified domain. 

Limit access to a specific folder


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

Folders with limited access allow users to organize files by project, in a single shared drive or shared folder, while ensuring that sensitive information is only accessible to the right team members. 


Additional details 

Folders with limited access are available in both shared drives and My Drive: 
  • Shared drive managers can always access folders with limited-access 
  • Folder owners can always access limited-access folders in their My Drive 

Getting started 

  • Admins: Eligible customers can express interest in the beta here. We’ll begin accepting domains into the program in the coming weeks. Once accepted into the beta, visit the Help Center to learn more about folders with limited access. 
  • End users: 
    • As a shared drive manager or My Drive folder owner, go to your shared drive > choose the folder you want to limit access > click the overflow menu > share > select share settings in the top right corner > click limited access to “Folder Name”. Visit the Help Center to learn more about folders with limited access. 
    • For users whose access has been limited, you will see the folder name, but the folder will be grayed out: 
For users whose access has been limited, you will see the folder name, but the folder will be grayed out:

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard, Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard, Plus 
  • Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Education Fundamentals, Standard, Plus, the Teaching & Learning Upgrade 
  • Nonprofits 

Resources 

View your most relevant Google Drive folders and files on a single page

What’s changing

Last year, we introduced a new homepage view in Google Drive that makes it faster and easier for you to find files that matter most. That update included personalized file and folder suggestions with machine learning algorithms that can help you get started quickly. 

Starting today, you will see a combined, unified view for file and folder suggestions on the Drive homepage that leverages machine learning to help you find and organize your most relevant content faster and intuitively. More specifically, you’ll notice: 
  • Combined file and folder suggestions: Drive's homepage shows suggested files and folders, intelligently chosen based on recent activity, sharing patterns, and connected Google Calendar events. 
  • Seamless navigation and organization: You can easily switch between viewing additional files or folders, or organize content directly from Home. 
  • Enhanced search filters: Search chips allow you to quickly start a search by by file type, people, modification date, and location modification date, location, and people. 
View your most relevant Google Drive folders and files on a single page

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: 
    • Up to 6 suggested folders will show at the top of the homepage view of Drive and you can click the “View more” option to see up to 12 total folders. 
    • Up to 10 suggested files will show underneath the suggested folders in the collapsed state and up to 30 suggested files will show if you click the “View more” option. 
    • You may not see the “View more” option if you do not have additional file or folder suggestions. 
    • The homepage view of Drive will be ON by default and can be opted-out by the user. If a user chooses to opt-out, their default page will be My Drive. To opt-out, go to the Settings icon in top right corner > Settings > Start page and select My Drive. 

Rollout pace 


Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 

Upload additional types of documents to Gemini (gemini.google.com) for insights and analysis

What’s changing 

Beginning today, Google Workspace users with a Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education or Education Premium license can now upload a variety of files from Google Drive or locally from your device into Gemini (gemini.google.com): 
  • Document and text files, such as TXT, DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, DOT, DOTX, HWP, HWPX and Google Docs 
  • Data Files, such as XLS, XLSX, CSV, TSV and Google Sheets 
Gemini can use uploaded files to gain context and analyze your content. In turn, this can help enhance your understanding, research, and writing through summarization of complex subject matter, identification of trends and insights, and recommendations for improving writing and document organization. Uploading a document can also help give you more personalized and relevant responses. 
Gemini document uploads


Additional details 

  • At this time, Context-Aware Access (CAA) for files uploaded from Google Drive isn’t supported. Context-Aware Access gives you control over which apps a user can access based on their context, such as whether their device complies with your IT policy. Learn more about Context-Aware Access.
  • Uploading files from Google Drive honors access control settings for files within Drive, meaning users can only upload files that they own or have been shared with them. 
  • File upload is not available to Google Workspace users accessing Gemini as an additional Google service.
  • Users with a Gemini for Google Workspace license who access Gemini as a core service are subject to the Google Workspace Terms of Service or Google Workspace for Education Terms of Service (for education institutions). When users use Gemini as a core service, their chats and uploaded files won't be reviewed by human reviews or otherwise used to improve generative AI models. 

Getting started 

Rollout pace 

Availability

Available for Google Workspace customers with 
  • Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium add-on 

Resources 

Business Starter customers will soon have access to shared drives

What’s changing

Last year, we announced that we’re updating the storage model in Business Starter from per-user storage to pooled storage. Today, we’re excited to share that organizations with Business Starter will officially have access to shared drives starting mid-September. 


With this change, Business Starter users will be able to create shared drives and add members, files, and folders. Please note that certain admin-level and security controls—like the ability to control access to the items in a shared drive—will not be included in the fundamental version of shared drives for Business Starter. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it’s important 

Part of empowering our customers to do their best work means reducing the friction around file sharing and collaboration. Shared drives are a key tool for collaboration—users can store, search, and access their team's files instantly. Additionally, they offer benefits such as: 
  • Easy discoverability: Less time spent requesting access to files and searching for relevant documents with all of your team’s files in one place. 
  • Files are forever: All content stays put — even when collaborators or team members leave, your content won’t. 
  • Easy collaboration: Every member of a shared drive can explore and collaborate in the same files. You can also add users outside your team or organization. 
  • Accessible anywhere: Regardless of location or device, you can always access the files you need most.

Additional details

When shared drives are made available to Business Starter customers, all users will be able to create shared drives by default. If this default behavior is undesired, admins can update their settings before Business Starter users gain access to the feature starting on September 23, 2024. To restrict this, go to the Admin console > Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings > Shared drive creation > turn on “Prevent users in [domain] from creating new shared drives.” 


Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    • When shared drives are available to Business Starter, admins can use the Admin console to: 
      • Add and remove members 
      • Change access level of members 
      • Restrict moving content externally 
    • The following features aren't available for shared drives in Business Starter: 
      • Admins cannot set default settings
      • Business Starter users cannot change settings 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn how to set up shared drives for your organization and then allow users to create shared drives. If you need more storage for your organization, consider purchasing additional pooled storage or upgrading your Google Workspace edition to a plan with more storage.
      • Note: Resold customers should contact their reseller to purchase more storage or upgrade their edition. 
  • End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about shared drives.

Rollout pace 

Admin setting: 
Shared drives enabled by default: 

Availability 

  • This update impacts Google Workspace Business Starter customers. 

Resources 

Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 23, 2024

1 New update

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.


Send emails about your files to collaborators using the sharing dialog in Workspace apps
Once a file is shared, you have the option to “notify” someone when they’ve been added to view, comment on, or edit a file. We’re building upon this by introducing the ability to send an email to any collaborator if you are a file owner or editor. This is especially useful if you’ve recently made updates to the content or if you’d like to pose a question to the group. To email collaborators, click “Share” > click on the “Email people on this file” icon next to “People with access” > select the email recipients and add a custom message. | Rolling out to Rapid Release domains now; launch to Scheduled Release domains planned for August 26, 2024. | Available to Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about sharing files from Google Drive.

Send emails about your files to collaborators using the sharing dialog in Workspace apps

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


Expanding multi-party-approvals to domain-wide-delegation actions 
We’re expanding multi-party approvals to include domain-wide-delegation. Domain-wide-delegation is a powerful feature which allows admins to grant third-party applications permission to access your Workspace users’ data. | Learn more about domain-wide-delegation actions. 

Introducing Student Groups in Google Classroom 
There is a new feature in Google Classroom that enables teachers to create groups of students to make assigning differentiated content easier. | Learn more about student groups in Classroom. 

Refine emails faster with updates to Help me write in Gmail 
We’ve introduced two new Gemini in Gmail updates to help you draft emails even faster: 1) a new option for Help me write that polishes emails drafts on web and mobile devices and 2) Help me write and Refine my draft shortcuts on Android and iOS devices. | Learn more about Help me write in Gmail. 

Google Meet increases ultra-low latency live streaming support to 100,000 viewers in distributed audiences 
For select Google Workspace editions*, we’re pleased to announce that the Google Meet ultra-low latency viewing experience for live streamed meetings will now support up to 100,000 viewers. In addition, the Google Meet ultra-low latency viewing experience for live streamed meetings is now available also from Google Meet room hardware. | Learn more about Meet ultra-low latency live streaming. 

Third-party smart chip resource creation now available in Google Docs 
We’re enabling third-party partners, such as Lucidspark, Lucidchart, and Zoho Projects, to create smart chips or resources like tasks or flowcharts that end users can add and edit in their Google Docs. | Learn more about third-party smart chips in Docs.

New host controls for add-ons in Google Meet
We’re giving meeting hosts and co-hosts the ability to control the use of add-ons during meetings* with a new setting. | Learn more about host controls in Meet.


Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.



Rapid Release Domains: 
Scheduled Release Domains: 
Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

Paused rollouts

We have paused the rollout for this feature while we evaluate performance and quality. We will provide an update with new rollout information as soon as possible. 

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).  



Google Workspace Updates Weekly Recap – August 16, 2024

2 New updates

Unless otherwise indicated, the features below are available to all Google Workspace customers, and are fully launched or in the process of rolling out. Rollouts should take no more than 15 business days to complete if launching to both Rapid and Scheduled Release at the same time. If not, each stage of rollout should take no more than 15 business days to complete.


Save files scanned in the Google Drive Android app as a .JPEG 
Currently, users can scan files as PDFs with their Android mobile device using the Google Drive app. This week, we’re excited to announce that users can now choose whether to save scanned files as a PDF or a JPEG. | Rolling out now to Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains. | Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts. | Visit the Help Center to learn more about scanning files with your mobile device.
file scanned in Drive Android app saved as JPEG
Google Meet on Android is now available for Logitech Rally Bar Huddle 
Google Meet on Android is now officially supported on Logitech’s Rally Bar Huddle appliance for small collaboration rooms and huddle spaces. After initial setup, admins can easily enroll, manage, and monitor these devices using the Google Admin console. Google Meet on Android for Logitech Rally Bar Huddle is supported on CollabOS v1.13. | Visit Logitech’s website for more information on purchasing a room kit.

Google Meet on Android is now available for Logitech Rally Bar Huddle

Previous announcements

The announcements below were published on the Workspace Updates blog earlier this week. Please refer to the original blog posts for complete details.


Manage all Calendar interop settings from the Admin console 
All Calendar interoperability settings will now be housed in the Admin console at Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Calendar > Calendar Interop management. This will make it easier for admins to view and manage their interop setups. | Learn more about Calendar Interop. 

Google Meet hardware event logs are now available in the security investigation tool and BigQuery 
We’re pleased to announce a new set of features to help you conduct deeper analysis and more flexible issue detection within your Google Meet hardware fleet. | Learn more about event logs for Meet hardware.

Chat safer with new settings for students in Google Chat 
We're introducing a new setting that enables education admins to restrict which users can create and manage members in Google Chat conversations. | Learn more about admin controls for Chat. 

Use intelligent suggestions for table conversion in Google Sheets 
If you have a meaningful range of data, Sheets will show a “Convert to table” suggestion when you click into your data range. By hovering over that indicator, you can preview the suggestion and then convert your range to a table in one click. | Learn more about suggestions for table conversion in Sheets. 

View and structure Google Form data as a table in Google Sheets 
We're introducing a new feature that enables users to more easily view and structure their Google Form data in Sheets. | Learn more about Form data in Sheets. 

Save time managing your Meet Hardware fleet with new device filters 
As we continue to make improvements for managing Meet Hardware fleets, we’re introducing eighteen additional filters in the Admin console. | Learn more about new Hardware device filters.

SOC compliance for Gemini
We’re pleased to announce for Gemini for Workspace licensed users that: 1) Gemini for Google Workspace—including Gemini in the side panel of Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides—is now SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3 compliant. 2) Chatting with Gemini at gemini.google.com is now SOC 2 and SOC 3 compliant. We plan to achieve SOC 1 compliance later this year. | Learn more about SOC compliance for Gemini.


Completed rollouts

The features below completed their rollouts to Rapid Release domains, Scheduled Release domains, or both. Please refer to the original blog posts for additional details.



Rapid Release Domains: 
Scheduled Release Domains: 
Rapid and Scheduled Release Domains: 

Paused rollouts

We have paused the rollout for this feature while we evaluate performance and quality. We will provide an update with new rollout information as soon as possible. 

For a recap of announcements in the past six months, check out What’s new in Google Workspace (recent releases).  

Providing student engagement signals for Google Drive file attachments in Google Classroom

What’s changing

We’re introducing a new feature that surfaces richer student engagement data on assignments with Google Drive attachments in Google Classroom. 

With this update, teachers will have easily accessible visibility into whether students have made progress on assignments with Drive attachments through pre-existing workflows in Classroom. This can help to identify students who may need additional support and make more informed decisions about how to assist their students. 

Specifically, teachers can see: 
  • From the Classwork page: The number of students who haven’t edited attachments for assignments. 
  • From the student work page on individual assignments: When the attachments were last edited by each student. 

With this information, teachers can: 
  • Quickly see whether students have started on their assigned work 
  • Provide timely interventions like sending reminders to the class or individual students 
  • Adjust instruction based on class progress Metrics for Drive attachments in Classroom

Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

This feature gives teachers visibility into student progress on academic work and helps them provide effective interventions to best support students. 


Additional details

The feature is currently only available on assignments with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drawings attachments. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. 
  • End users: 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Resources 

Gemini in the side panel of Google Drive introduces a new PDF viewing experience

What’s changing

You can now interact with the Gemini side panel while viewing PDFs. This new viewing experience works with all kinds of PDFs, such as: 
  • Scanned PDFs: Pictures of paper documents turned into PDFs. 
  • Native PDFs: PDFs created on a computer, not from a scan.
  • Text-heavy PDFs: Long PDFs with lots of writing. 
  • Table-heavy PDFs: PDFs with complicated tables. 
With this update, you can use Gemini in Drive to help you with PDF files in the following ways: 
  • Summarize: Get a quick overview of long, complicated PDFs. 
  • Ask questions: Find specific information or insights from the PDF. 
  • Create new content: Use PDF contents to make something new, like a study guide or an email draft. 
  • Bring in more information: Combine the PDF with other files you have in Google Drive by typing @. 
Gemini in Google Drive PDF viewer


Getting started 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace customers with: 
  • Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, and Education Premium add-ons 
  • Google One AI Premium 

Resources 

Automatically generated captions for videos in Google Drive

What’s changing 

Today, we’re excited to announce that when you upload a video to Google Drive, captions for the video can be automatically generated. These captions are automatically generated using speech recognition technology to transcribe the audio. Automatically generated captions will be supported in English, with plans to expand to other languages in the future. 


Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why it matters 

Automatic caption generation can improve the accessibility of media stored in Drive and can save you the effort of manually creating captions. It also allows you to easily search for videos based on their content, making it much simpler to find the exact file you need. 


Additional details 

You can manually request automatic captions for any video that was uploaded prior to this new update. See end user instructions below for more information. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: 
    • This feature will be ON by default and as a result captions will generate automatically when a user uploads a video to Drive. Or, admins can choose between two options: 
      • Option 1: Disable this feature 
      •  Option 2: Set it so captions only generate when a user requests them for a specific video by going to the Admin console > Drive and Docs > Features and Applications > Automatically-Generated captions. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about turning on automatically-generated captions for videos in Drive. 
  • End users: 
    • If your admin selects option 1, you can add generated captions by right-clicking the video in your Drive > Manage caption tracks > generate automatic captions. You can also generate captions when the video is playing by going to the three dot menu on top right > manage captions tracks > generate automatic captions. 
    • If your admin selections option 2, no action is required on your end and captions will automatically be generated upon video upload. 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about automatically generated captions. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 
    • Note: Users with personal Google accounts must request automatic captions after uploading a video to Drive. 

Resources 

Enable Classification labels on specific Google Workspace applications

What’s changing

Admins can create classification labels for users to apply to files in Google Drive. These classification labels are useful for many common workplace scenarios, including records management, classification, structured finding, reporting, auditing, and more. 

To improve granularity in enabling & governing labels, we are replacing and improving the existing “Labels” setting within Apps > Google Workspace > Drive & Docs and adding label-level application toggles to the Label Manager tool. 

Classification labels can be applied to a Workspace application once it's selected during the setup process. A lock icon will be displayed in line with the application toggle when the label is referenced by a policy, such as a DLP rule. To remove all rules that reference a specific label, go to the Data protection section of the Admin console > Security > Access and data control. 

The active labels in your Workspace domain will continue to function and will be auto-enabled for Drive & Doc as a result of this update.
 

Getting started 

Rollout pace

  • This feature is available now 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard, Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard, Plus 
  • Essentials Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Education Standard, Plus 
  • Frontline Starter, Standard

Resources