How To Hide Files in Google Drive

How To Keep Your Files Invisible in Google Drive

Hey there! Today I want to share with you a neat trick that will help you keep your files hidden in Google Drive. You might be wondering, why would I want to hide my files? Well, I’ll tell you. Sometimes there are certain files that you’d rather keep private, away from prying eyes. And that’s completely understandable.

So, how can you make your files vanish from the sight of others? It’s a lot easier than you think! Let me guide you through the process step by step. But before we dive in, make sure you have a Google Drive account. If you don’t, go ahead and sign up for one – it’s free!

Step 1: Create a Folder

The first thing we need to do is create a folder for our secret files. Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science! Simply open up your Google Drive and click on the “New” button. From the drop-down menu, select “Folder”. Give your folder a name, something inconspicuous that won’t raise any suspicion.

Step 2: Move Your Files

Now that you have your folder in place, it’s time to move your files into it. This is where the magic happens! Select the files you want to hide by clicking on each one while holding down the “Ctrl” key (or the “Cmd” key on a Mac). Once you have your files selected, right-click on one of them and choose “Move to”. Then, select your newly created folder from the list.

Step 3: Set Folder Permissions

Okay, now that your files are nicely tucked away in their special folder, we want to make sure that nobody else can access them. It’s time to play around with some folder permissions. Right-click on your folder and select “Share”. In the dialog box that appears, click on the “Advanced” button. Now, here comes the important part – click on the “Change” link next to the folder’s current permissions. You’ll see a new dialog box pop up.

In this dialog box, you’ll find a list of people who currently have access to your folder. Your goal is to remove everyone from that list except for yourself. To do that, click on each person’s email address and then click on the little “X” next to it. This will remove them from the permissions list. Once you’ve removed everyone except for yourself, click on the “Save changes” button.

Step 4: Enjoy Your Hidden Files

Congratulations! Your files are now safely hidden from prying eyes. Whenever you need to access them, simply go to your Google Drive, open up your secret folder, and there they are, waiting for you. Remember, this method only hides the files from others – you’ll still be able to see and use them normally.

So, my friend, you now have the power to keep your files invisible in Google Drive. Feel free to hide away those personal files or any top secret information with confidence. Take control of your privacy and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your files are safely tucked away.

If you work on projects or use a shared Google Drive, there might be things you don’t want to share or only want to share with certain people. While the controls over stored content are basic, there are ways to hide files in Google Drive and control who has access to them. I’ll show you exactly how to do that.

Now, you might be thinking, why would I even upload files I don’t want others to see? Well, if you have multiple projects or want different people to see different files, some management is required.

How to Hide Files in Google Drive

There are three methods I know of to control who sees what in Google Drive. The first one is using a Chrome extension that allows you to create hidden files. The second method is organizing your work into folders within Google Drive and only sharing what you want others to see. And the last method involves using version control to tweak individual files. Let me show you how all three methods work.

Chrome Extension to Hide Files

If you use Chrome, there’s an extension called Hidden Folder for Drive, Cloud USB that you can use. It allows you to hide files or make them private within Google Drive. This can be really useful if you want to protect certain folders while still allowing access to others.

With this extension, you can mark folders as private or hide them altogether. It integrates seamlessly into Google Drive, giving you more control over what others can see.

Separate Work into Folders

If you don’t want to use an extension, you can simply organize your work into folders within Google Drive. By doing this, you can control who has access to each folder. This is especially useful if you have multiple staff or people with access to your files and want to keep things separate.

All you need to do is allow access to specific folders for those you want to share with. The other folders within Google Drive will remain hidden from them. You can even set time-limited access to files for even more control.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to share a file with specific people:

1. Open your Google Drive and select the file or folder you want to share.
2. Right-click the folder and select Share.
3. Enter the email address(es) of the person or people you want to share with.
4. Select the pencil button to set the level of access they have (read/write or read-only).
5. Select Advanced in the bottom right and make sure Off – Specific people is enabled under Link Sharing. Save your changes if needed.
6. If others have admin access to the Google Drive, check the box next to “Prevent editors from changing access and adding new people”.
7. Share the file or folder via the email invite.

The people you invite will be able to see the file you shared within Google Drive, but nothing else. It’s like hiding the file from everyone else.

If you want to set a time limit on access to your Google Drive assets, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Share window as explained above.
2. Select Advanced and hover over the person you want to limit access for.
3. When the option appears, select Set Expiration.
4. Set a time for the access to expire and save your changes.

Use Version Control to Hide Files

A cool feature of Google Drive is version control, which is really helpful in a business setting. It’s called “Managed Versions” and it’s enabled by default in Google Drive. You can actually use this feature to hide files without having to organize your drive in a specific way.

Here’s how it works:

1. Create an empty text file on your computer and give it a name.
2. Right-click the file you want to hide in Google Drive and select “Manage Versions”.
3. Select “Upload New Version” and upload the empty text file you created.
4. Rename the file you want to hide with a completely different name.

Now, this method may not be very useful in a business setting, but it could be okay for sharing files with friends. Just keep in mind that Google Drive only keeps previous versions for 30 days. So if you want to keep hiding the file, you’ll need to save the previous version somewhere and repeat the process every month.

Google Drive gives you simple ways to hide files or control who can access them, when, and for how long. Do you know any other ways to hide files in Google Drive? Share your thoughts with us below!

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One thought on “How To Hide Files in Google Drive”

Laura says:

Regarding the last option, here are a few things to note. You can set the previous version to ‘keep forever’ so it won’t be deleted. Also, if you delete the current version of a file, the thumbnail will still display the current version, but when you open it, you’ll see the first version. It’s a useful trick if you want to hide things in plain sight.