Pin Code Sharing in Google Drive

Have you ever wanted to share a Google folder or file with someone who doesn’t have a Google account? Google recently launched pin code sharing which allows you to do just that. This is valuable as many businesses and emails are tied with other providers. Pin code sharing allows you to securely share files or folders with someone who doesn’t have a Google account - all they need is an email address. Damson Cloud’s Fintan Murphy discusses how pin code sharing aids collaboration between businesses. 

How Does Pin Code Sharing Work?

Pin code sharing does not work on a shared drive but it does work on a folder within a shared drive. For the overarching controls of a shared drive, you do need a Google account but for subfolders, it is not necessary to have one. 

Right-click on a file or folder and you will be able to delineate between guests and members of the Google Drive. You can hover over an email to see if they have a Google email. From here, you can decide what level of permissions you want to offer them in your folder and add a message when inviting them to the folder. 

They will receive an email with their invite and a message if you have opted to write one. If there is no Google account associated with their email, they will be prompted to use the pin code share when they click the link. 

When someone who doesn’t have a Google account clicks on the link, the sender will receive an email asking them to verify their email. Once this is confirmed, Google will send a one-time verification code to the invitee who will then be prompted to use this code to access the files or folders that they have been invited to collaborate on. 

Why Is Pin Code Sharing Important?

Not every business operates with Google Workspace, and many businesses are collaborating and working with partners outside their companies. External users who don’t have Google Workspace accounts have previously found it difficult to securely and competently work through these barriers. Pin code sharing is a feature that has benefits for administrators of Google Workspace as well as end-users. 

Pin Code Sharing Benefits

Pin code sharing allows for secure collaboration and communication, giving visitors permissions to create comments and edits, even if they don’t have a Google account. Permissions are assigned by the administrator, so you have total control over their relationship with the folders and files. 

Administrators are also able to have audit logging enabled with visitors to ensure no interaction is lost and can be addressed if required. Access can be removed and instated seamlessly as well. 

Pincode sharing provides a space for people to collaborate, saving time on creating separate files to work on with external users and keeping work in one single space. Even if a visitor creates a Google account with their email address, their activity history will be unaffected by their account creation. 

Pin Code Sharing Limits

While pin code sharing has opened up a new space for collaboration, it is a  limited capacity for Cloud Identity users. Cloud Identity users will only be able to share with non-Google recipients by sending invites that allow users to preview file contents in read-only mode without signing into a Google account. 

As a longstanding member of the Google Cloud Partner Program, Damson Cloud specialises in bringing people and ideas together through new ways of working. We champion the very best practices in remote working and change management, helping companies and their teams collaborate productively from anywhere in the world. To find out more about our services, check out our library of tutorial videos or our blog.