To create a shared drive in Google Drive, open the website on a computer with an eligible Google Workspace account, click Shared drives > New, enter a name, and click Create. Your account needs a supported Workspace edition and permission to create shared drives. A personal Google Account cannot create one, but you can create and share a folder instead.
The short version
- Create on a computer: Open Shared drives, click New, name the drive, and click Create.
- Check eligibility: Shared-drive creation requires a supported Google Workspace account and administrator permission.
- Add collaborators: Open the drive and select Manage members to invite people and choose their roles.
- Use a personal account: Create a folder and share it with collaborators as an alternative.
| Option | What it does | Requirement or catch |
|---|---|---|
| Drive website | Creates a shared drive | Eligible Workspace account and creation permission |
| Manage members | Adds collaborators to an existing drive | Manager access |
| Administrator enables creation | Allows eligible users to create drives | Drive & Docs administrator privilege |
| Administrator creates the drive | Creates a drive and adds its members | Eligible administrator account with creation permission |
| Website shared folder | Creates and shares an ordinary folder | Individual ownership |
| Website keyboard shortcuts | Creates a folder and opens sharing | Shortcuts vary by language and keyboard layout |
| Android shared folder | Creates and shares a folder in the app | Account sharing policies apply |
| iPhone or iPad shared folder | Creates and shares a folder in the app | Account sharing policies apply |
| Drive API | Creates a drive programmatically | Eligible Workspace user, creation permission and OAuth authorization |
| APIs Explorer | Calls the creation API in a desktop browser | Interactive panel and the same account permissions |
| Apps Script | Creates a drive through the advanced Drive service | Authorized eligible user and Drive service v3 |
Create the shared drive on a computer
Open Google Drive in a browser on your Windows, macOS, ChromeOS or Linux computer. Sign in with your eligible work or school account, then click Shared drives in the left sidebar.
Click New at the top left and enter the drive’s name. Click Create to finish creating it, then add the people who need access. A shared drive belongs to the organization, while an ordinary shared folder has individual ownership.
Add people and choose their access
In Google Drive, click Shared drives and double-click the drive you created. Click Manage members, then enter the names, email addresses or Google Group you want to add. You need Manager access to manage the drive’s membership.
Choose each member’s role from the dropdown before sending the invitations. New members default to Content manager, so review that selection for each person. Select Notify people to email invitations, then click Send.
People outside the organization need a Google Account, and your organization’s sharing policies must permit external members. Someone with a personal Google Account can therefore join when permitted, even though that account cannot create a shared drive.
Fix account and permission problems
Start by confirming which account you signed in with. Personal Google Accounts cannot create shared drives, and buying personal storage does not establish Workspace eligibility. If you have a personal account, use the shared-folder steps below.
Use a computer browser to create the drive. Google does not document a native shared-drive creation path in the Android, iPhone or iPad apps. Creating a folder inside an existing shared drive is a separate task.
If your eligible Workspace account cannot create drives, ask your administrator to enable creation. If you are the administrator, sign in to the Google Admin console with the Drive & Docs administrator privilege. Open Menu > Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings > Shared drive creation.
Select the organizational unit or configuration group you want to configure. Uncheck Prevent users in selected-organizational-unit from creating new shared drives; the live checkbox includes the selected organizational unit’s name. Click Save, or Override for an organizational unit when offered.
Allow up to 24 hours for the change to apply, then create the drive through the Drive website. Configuration-group settings override organizational-unit settings, so check the applicable group if the organizational-unit change does not resolve the restriction.
If your organization reserves creation for administrators or designated staff, ask an eligible administrator with creation permission to provide the drive. As that administrator, open Google Drive, click Shared drives > New, enter a name, and click Create. Add the intended users or groups through Manage members, following the membership steps above. Google directs administrators to create drives in Drive; the Admin console handles policy and membership management.
Create and share an ordinary folder on a computer
For a shared-folder alternative on the desktop website, open My Drive and click New > Folder. Enter a name, then click Create. You can use this option with a personal or Workspace account, subject to sharing policies.
Select the folder and click Share +. Enter a person’s email address or a Google Group, then choose Editor for collaboration. Select Notify people and click Send or Share.
For link sharing instead, under General access, choose Anyone with the link and select an access role. Click Copy link, then click Done.
To create the folder with your keyboard, first open My Drive. On Windows or ChromeOS, press Alt + C, then F; on macOS, press Control + C, then F. Enter the folder name and activate Create.
Select the folder, then press Ctrl + Alt + A on Windows or ChromeOS to open sharing. On macOS, press Command + Option + A. Add the recipients and choose their access in the sharing dialog.
Google cautions that shortcuts can vary with your language and keyboard layout. These shortcuts create and share ordinary folders; Google does not list a dedicated shortcut for creating a shared drive.
Share a folder from Android
Open the Google Drive app on your Android phone or tablet and choose the intended location under My Drive. Tap Add > Folder, enter a name, and tap Create. This creates an ordinary folder, with sharing subject to your account’s policies.
Beside the new folder, tap More > Share. Enter an email address or Google Group and choose Editor for collaboration. Select Notify people, then tap Send.
To grant access through a link instead, tap More > Manage access. Open General access > Change, then choose Anyone with the link.
Share a folder from iPhone or iPad
In the Google Drive app on your iPhone or iPad, open the intended location under My Drive. Tap Add > Folder, enter a name, then tap Create. The result is an ordinary folder that you can share.
Tap More beside the folder, then tap Share. Enter an email address or Google Group and select Editor. Notifications are enabled by default; to suppress them, tap More > Skip sending notifications before sending. Tap Send to finish.
For link access, tap More > Manage access. Tap the Right arrow under General access, then choose Anyone with the link. Account sharing policies still apply.
Create a shared drive with the Drive API
For programmatic creation, use the current Drive API v3 method drives.create. Authorize OAuth credentials for an eligible Workspace user with creation permission and the Drive scope. The API has the same Workspace requirements as the website, so it cannot bypass account or administrator restrictions.
Send a POST request to the Drive API’s /drive/v3/drives endpoint, using a unique UUID for the requestId query parameter. Set Content-Type to application/json and supply the drive name in the request body:
{"name":"Project files"}Store the drive ID returned by the API. If you retry the same creation attempt, reuse the same requestId and request body. Google also provides client-library examples for this method.
Create a shared drive with APIs Explorer
In a desktop browser, open Google’s drives.create reference page and select Try it! or Try this method where the interactive panel is available. Supply a unique requestId and enter this request body:
{"name":"Project files"}Under Credentials, uncheck API key and check Google OAuth 2.0. Ensure the Drive scope is selected, then click Execute. Sign in with an eligible Workspace account if prompted, then click Allow. This invokes the same creation API and requires the same creation permission.
Create a shared drive with Apps Script
Open an Apps Script project and click Editor. Beside Services, click Add a service. Select Drive API, use version v3 with the identifier Drive, and click Add.
If your script uses a standard Google Cloud project, also enable the Drive API in that project. Default Apps Script Cloud projects enable it automatically when you add the service. In a function authorized to run as an eligible Workspace user, execute this call:
Drive.Drives.create({name: 'Project files'}, Utilities.getUuid())The advanced Drive service uses the same shared-drive creation requirements as the API. If creation is blocked, check the executing account’s Workspace eligibility and administrator permission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Google Workspace Business Starter users create shared drives?
Yes, you can create shared drives with Business Starter when your administrator permits it. Some advanced sharing controls remain unavailable on that edition.
Is shared-drive creation enabled by default?
For Business and Enterprise users, creation is enabled by default. For Education organizations, it is off by default, so your administrator may need to enable it.
Are Team Drives different from shared drives?
No, Team Drives is the older name for the same feature. If you are following an older tutorial, choose Shared drives in the current interface.
What should you do with an older script that uses teamdrives.create?
Replace the deprecated teamdrives.create call with drives.create. Supply a unique requestId and a request body containing the drive name.
Can ordinary DriveApp folder methods create a shared drive?
No, ordinary DriveApp folder-creation methods create folders, not shared drives. Use the advanced Drive service when your Apps Script task needs to create an actual shared drive.