FAQ - Shared File Permissions

Modified on Tue, 21 Mar, 2023 at 2:54 PM

When submitting projects for assignments using Google Docs, Dropbox, or similar file sharing methods, it is important to ensure that the correct sharing permissions are being used so that your teacher is able to open the documents.


Sharing using Google

Please Note: Google Workspace allows Admins to turn off the ability to share documents. If this is the case, the following will not work and students are advised to copy/paste work into a Word doc or similar program for submissions.


Google Workspace Admins can turn on sharing by following this guide: Managing External Sharing for your Organization


Whether using Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides, the method of sharing is the same. By default, a file is private, and viewable only by yourself. You will need to change it so that anyone with the link is able to view it.


  1. Click on the file you want to share


  2. Click on the Share icon in the upper right

    • If you hover over the button without clicking, it will show you the current sharing status



  3. Click on the Get shareable link icon in the upper right of the pop-up



    • Alternatively, you can enter the email address of the person you would like to share the document to and set the level of access by clicking on the pencil icon. This will send an email to the recipient, but you will still want to submit something in the course indicating that you have sent the file (ie. submit "Sent via Google Drive")

  4. Select the option that says On - Anyone with the link
    • Note: You may see a slightly different popup at first depending on if you are using Gsuite or just a personal Google account. If you are using Gsuite, you will see a screen similar to this:



    • Click on the dropdown arrow beside the Anyone at <organization name> with the link can view and choose the More option, select the On - Anyone with the link option then click Save


  5. Click on the Copy Link option to save the link to your clipboard


  6. In the course, you can submit this link either by simply adding the link in the assignment box or by creating a text file on your computer that has the google link in it and uploading that file.


You can find more information on sharing using Google here



Sharing using Dropbox


  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.


  2. Click Filesin the left column.


  3. Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click the Share button



  4. Type the Email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share with.



  5. Click Share. They’ll receive an email with a link to the file or folder.


You can find more information on sharing using Dropbox here.


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