The short version: a link set to “Anyone with the link” works for anyone who has the link. Check the files that hold personal details and switch them to “Restricted”.
Link sharing is handy, and easy to forget
Sharing by link is quick. You copy a link, send it, and the other person opens the file. Most shared links are harmless, like a recipe or a party plan.
You may forget the link exists. This guide helps you check the ones that matter. You do not need to stop sharing. Know which files are open to anyone with the link.
What “Restricted” and “Anyone with the link” mean
In Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive, the General access setting decides who can open a file. Google describes these choices:
- Restricted: only people with access can open the file. You add them by email.
- Anyone with the link: anyone who has the link can use your file, without signing in to a Google Account.
- Public: anyone can search on Google and get access to your file, without signing in.
The options you see depend on whether your account is through Gmail, work or school.
What each person can do
Permissions are rules for what a person can do with a file. Google uses three roles:
- Viewer can open the file.
- Commenter can open it and add comments.
- Editor can change it.
When you share a link, you choose a role. Choose Viewer unless people need to change the file. When someone is not signed in, Google shows them in your file as an “anonymous animal”. You will not see their name.
How links travel
A link is like a key that anyone can copy. Someone can forward it in an email, paste it in a chat, or show it on a shared screen. You cannot control who passes it on. Your name and email address also show as the owner of a file you share by link.
What not to share by link
For files like these, use Restricted and add people one by one:
- scans of identity cards or passports
- bank or tax documents
- medical notes
- passwords (a password manager is the safe place for them)
- photos of children
Check one file
- Open the file and click Share.
- Under General access, open the drop-down list.
- Choose Restricted, then click Done.
- Look at the people with access. Remove anyone who no longer needs it. Change Editors to Viewers where you can. If the file is in a shared folder, removing someone can change their access to the whole folder.
To see who has access without opening the Share box, right-click the file and open File information, then Details. Google says a panel shows who owns the file and who has access.
Find files you shared by link
Start with the files that hold personal details, such as ID scans, tax papers and health notes. Open each one, click Share, and read the line under General access. If it says “Anyone with the link”, change it to Restricted.
Google’s help pages do not describe a way to search Drive for link-shared files, so check the files that matter one by one.
Safer ways to share
- Add people by email instead of sending an open link.
- Give Viewer access when you can.
- Stop sharing when the project is over. Open the file, click Share, find the person, choose Remove access, then click Save.
- Turn off “Editors can change permissions and share”. This stops editors from sharing that file. Open Share, click Settings, uncheck it, then click Done. If the file is in a shared folder, editors of the folder can still share the folder.
- If you use an eligible work or school account, you can set an expiration date on a person’s access with Add expiration.
If you publish a file to the web, that is different. Google says that, depending on your settings, publishing can make a file visible to everyone on the web. To remove it, you must stop publishing it.
School and work accounts
School and work accounts can have different rules, set by the school or employer. An administrator (the person who manages accounts for your school or employer) may stop you from sharing outside the organization. If you cannot change a setting, ask your administrator.
Related words: anyone with the link, public link, permissions, cloud storage, privacy settings, metadata. For the rest of your accounts, see the 30-minute account cleanup. Your email account matters here too: see how to secure your email account.
Do this today (about 8 minutes)
- Open Google Drive and pick the three files that hold the most personal details.
- For each one, click Share. If it says “Anyone with the link”, change it to Restricted.
- Remove anyone on the list who no longer needs access. If the file is in a shared folder, removing someone can change their access to the whole folder.
Never type a code or password into this website, and never read a code out to someone who contacts you.
Checked: 25 Oct 2026. The steps are for Google Drive on a computer. Settings screens change. If yours looks different, search the company's help page.
