Collaboration is vital to any office, and it’s great to share files when you’re working together on an important task. But just as too many cooks ruin a dish, too many colleagues can derail your work. If you’re frustrated with endless editing and co-workers adding to your documents at the last minute, Google now gives you the power to lock them out.
The newly released lock tool allows you to secure your files in Google Drive, restricting permissions for other users in your Google Workspace. Once locked, others can open and view the file, but they won’t be able to make any changes. This is a handy feature for keeping your work organized and off-limits, ensuring your data stays protected and you don’t have to worry about unauthorized users modifying it.
How to lock your files in Google Workspace
Before this update, users could only restrict their files through the Google Drive API or by navigating the user approvals settings - choosing between viewer, editor, and commentator.
Those controls are helpful when you want to customize access, giving your colleagues their specific permissions, such as allowing your editor to make changes but limiting project managers to comments only. They take time to create, inputting each user’s email and setting their status.
If you want to stop anyone from making changes, the new lock tool streamlines and simplifies that process. To use it:
- Make sure you have edit access to the file you want to lock
- Hover your cursor over the file icon and right-click
- From the pop-up menu, select ‘File information’, then ‘Lock’
Once locked, no one can edit your file or make comments or suggestions until it is unlocked. To unlock, simply go through the above steps in reverse.
When will this Workspace update be available?
Available to all Google Workspace users, this update will be gradually rolled out across all accounts starting September.
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