Google Docs is an incredibly convenient, versatile collaboration tool that provides valuable options to share its document with some specific people. Google Docs provides impressive sharing options that allow you to share your Google Docs documents. But sometimes these sharing options can pave way for private issues. Unfortunately, the sharing options may result in great risks and questions the privacy and security of your Google Docs document. Keeping your Google Docs files private is essential to protect your files from unwanted threats. Let’s dive deep to know how to keep Google Docs private.
Table Of Contents
- How to maintain privacy when sending Google Docs File
- Why you need Google Docs private?
- Keep Google Docs private – Stop sharing Google Docs file
- Keep Google Docs private – Restrict links sharing for a file
- Keep Google Docs private – Delete shared files
- Keep Google Docs private – Prevent others from sharing your shared files
- Keep Google Docs private – Stop publishing Docs file
- Google drive private folder
How to maintain privacy when sending Google Docs File
The easiest and the most effective way is to maintain privacy and securely share your Google Docs document with some specific people.
Why you need Google Docs private?
- When you create a private Google Docs document, you are the only person who can access it.
- You only have the right to give access to other people.
- Anyone trying to access your Google Docs document has to sign in to their Google Account to verify that they have access to your Google Docs doc.
- Private is the best setting for your personal Google Docs documents.
- Keeping your Docs private is also a good option if you want to collaborate within a trusted small circle of people.
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Keep Google Docs private – Stop sharing Google Docs file
With the help of Google Docs, you can able to share your Google Docs files with different people or users easily. It makes the collaboration easier than any other application.
But what if you want your Google Docs file that you had shared earlier with some specific people may turn against you and disrupts your privacy? If you will be in a particular situation where you wish to stop sharing your Google Docs document, then you can keep your Google Docs private.
- If you are sharing your Docs file with different people or with anyone who has edit permissions. he can able to modify the settings for sharing the Google Docs file.
- If you don’t want anyone to change the sharing settings of your Google Docs file, you have to remove the edit permissions too.
How to stop sharing files to keep Google Docs private?
- Open your Google Docs document that you want to make private.
- Click the blue-colored “share” button at the top-right corner of the Google Docs document.
- “Share with People and Groups ” window will get opened.
- Search for the person with whom you wish to stop sharing your Google Docs file.
- You can see the dropdown at the right end to their name.
- Click the dropdown > Remove.
If you remove all the collaborators from the Docs file and restrict the file link, your Docs file will be made private.
Keep Google Docs private – Restrict links sharing for a file
When you are modifying the link’s setting for your Google Docs file to ‘Restricted’, the people who still can able to see your Google Docs file are those people with whom you have shared (by entering Gmail address ) directly within the ‘Share with people and groups’ section.
How to restrict link sharing for a file to keep Google Docs private?
- Open the docs document that you want to set as private.
- Click the blue-colored share button at the top right corner of the Google Docs.
- “Share with People and Groups ” window will get opened.
- You can see that the “Get link” section will set to be Anyone. This means that anyone on the internet with this link can view it.
- To change this, click “Change”. Now click the dropdown next to “Anyone with the link” and select restricted.
Your Google Docs file will now be set to ‘restricted’ that ensures only people added can open with this link. And once you also remove all the collaborators from the Docs file, your Docs file will be made private.
If you decide that you no longer want to share the shared Google Docs document with other users, you can make a copy of that document and simply delete it.
- But people can able to view, edit, comment, or make copy of your Google Docs file until and unless you have deleted the file permanently.
- To delete your Google Docs file permanently, go to Google Drive.
- Right-click on the Google Docs file in the trash folder, and click Delete forever.
If you are sharing a Google Docs file, the owner or anyone with edit permissions can change the sharing settings for the file that questions the privacy of your Google Docs file.
- Open your Google Docs document which you want to set as private.
- Click the blue-colored share button at the top right corner of the Google Docs.
- “Share with People and Groups ” window will get opened.
- Click the settings icon from the top right of the pop-up window.
- Uncheck the “Editors can change permissions and share” option and “Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy” option.
This will prevent others from sharing your shared files and thus enhance the security and privacy of your Google Docs.
Keep Google Docs private – Stop publishing Docs file
You can stop publishing your Docs file to keep it private.
How to stop publishing Docs file to keep it private?
- Open your Google Docs document that you set to be private.
- At the top of the document, click File>Publish to the web.
- “Publish to the web” window will be opened
- Find the “Stop publishing” button at the end of the window and click it.
- A confirmation pop-up will open. Click “OK” to stop publish your Google Docs file.
Google drive private folder
- Google Drive is private by default. The files and folders that are available in your Google Drive are private by default.
- You can change the access to your Google Docs files depending on your needs and select your level of privacy.
- Sharing settings in Google Drive is quite similar to Google Docs sharing settings.
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And voila! You can keep your Google Docs private now! Just follow the above steps!
I am Rajkishore, and I have over 14 years of experience in the Software Industry. For a long time, I have been using Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google Sheets for my document usage, and I am sharing all the tips and tricks, the challenges I have come across, and their solutions to use Google Docs for your day-to-day use. I hope you will learn from these practical Google Docs tutorials. Read more.