Update for Google Drive Shared Links from Prior to 2017

Are your students having to request access to your old files in Google Drive? If so, it's probably time to update the files and the folder they are share in.

On July 26, 2021, Google notified many Google users about an update that will take effect September 13, 2021, that impacts their Google accounts. Google will be applying an update to some Google Drive files to make sharing links more secure. This update will change the shared link URLs created for non-Google files (e.g., Word, Excel, JPG, etc.) shared before November 2017.

Who is Affected

This change will affect individuals who have not viewed the impacted file before September 13 and are trying to access the file via the old shared link URL. When these individuals try to access the file after September 13, they will be asked to request access. The owner or manager of the file will then receive an email asking for approval.

What file types are impacted?

Only non-Google files such as Microsoft Word documents, PDFs, and others shared before November 2017 will be impacted by this security update. Built-in Google file types such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms will not be impacted.

How to Resolve

Update any impacted shared link URLs you have distributed on websites or documentation to reduce the number of access requests you receive.

See the Google Help Center for more information on the update to Google Drive links.