How K12 Montana Schools Share Files and Manage Permissions in Google Drive

Sharing is one of the most powerful features of Google Drive - and one of the most commonly misunderstood. K12 Montana regularly gets support requests from school staff who've accidentally shared the wrong thing with the wrong people. Let's clear up how it works so you're sharing the right things with the right people.

The Three Permission Levels

Every file or folder you share can be shared at one of three levels:

Viewer: the person can open and read the file but can't make changes. Great for sharing documents with parents or community members.

Commenter: the person can read and leave comments but can't edit. Useful for getting feedback on a document without letting anyone change the original.

Editor: the person can make changes directly. Use this for collaborative documents where multiple people are actively working together.

Sharing a File

Open the file in Google Drive. Click the Share button in the top right. Type the email address of the person you want to share with, select their permission level, and optionally add a message. Click Send. They'll receive an email notification with a link to the file.

Sharing with a Group

Instead of adding individuals one by one, you can share with a Google Group. Type the group's email address in the share field and it'll go to everyone in that group at once.

Sharing a Whole Folder

You can share an entire folder the same way you share a file. Everyone you share it with will have access to all current and future files added to that folder.

Removing Access

Open the file, click Share, find the person's name in the list, and change their permission to Remove access.

A Word of Caution

Be thoughtful about who gets Editor access on important documents. For things like budget spreadsheets or student records, Viewer or Commenter is usually the right call for most people.

Need help setting up your district's file sharing practices? K12 Montana Inc. helps Montana schools build smart, secure Google Drive structures. Contact us to talk it through.