As a library administrator, you can define your library administrators, contributors and readers though the library security settings.
If you are administrator of a Team Folder or a Secured Folder, you are recommended to access the library settings from the Google Drive interface with the AODocs Smartbar.
Learn more:
As a library administrator, you can:
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Access your library security settings
2. Select Administration > Library security. The Library security pop-up opens.
Manage access to your library using visibility options
Choose a visibility option:
- Private library: only listed users and groups have access — access to the library is only given for individual user or Google groups
- Public library: all users in the domain have user access — all domain users will be members of the Reader role in the library
- Public library: all users in the domain have contributor access — all domain users will be members of the Contributor role in the library
Learn more: What are roles?
Manage access to your library configuring Google groups and users permissions
Important: Regardless of the visibility option chosen, you can grant access to your library to specific users or Google groups.
If a user is defined by both a visibility option and in specific permissions (as an individual user or in a Google group), the wider permissions will be granted to this user.
1. Enter the email address of a user or Google Group.
2. Press Add. The user or group is added to the list.
3. Define the role of the user.
Note: After the creation of a new library, the library creator and the storage admin are the only library administrators but they can add and remove library administrators.
Administrator |
Members of the administrator role have full access to all the documents in the library, bypassing the document-level security. Administrators are also automatically members of the contributor and reader roles, even if they don't explicitly appear in the users and groups assigned to these roles. |
Contributor |
Members of the contributor role can be given read/write permission on the Documents in the Library. Being member of the contributor role does not grant write permission on all documents, but rather make it possible to be given this permission: to be able to modify a document, a user must be at the same time member of the contributor role and have write permission on the document. Members of the contributor role are also automatically members of the reader role, even if they don't explicitly appear in the users and groups assigned to this role. |
Reader |
Members of the Reader role can see the library in the "My Libraries" homepage, open the library and search for documents. They can open the documents for which they have read permission. Being member of the reader role does not grant read permission on all documents, but rather make it possible to be given this permission, to be able to view a document, a user must be at the same time member of the reader role and have read permission on the document. |
Learn more: What are roles?
4. Press Save.
5. If required, you can remove a user or group by pressing the red cross.
6. If required, you can press the Apply same permissions to root folder’s children items link to apply these library permissions to every document in the library. This resets any existing document permissions.
Learn more: Configure inherited permissions on document classes.
Comments
This article appear recent and dated "November 21, 2017 20:03". I am using Chrome extension AODocs - Smartbar for G Suite 5.3.3. My screens do not match the screenshots within this article. Any guidance appreciated.
Hi Michael,
You are mentioning the AODocs Smarbar (Chrome extension) which works in the Google Drive interface. The screens of this article describe the AODocs interface https://aodocs.altirnao.com. Also the Library Security screen will defer depending on the type of library you use. This article describes the security settings of a Document Management Library.
If you are administering a Team Folder or a Secured Folder we recommend that you access the library settings from the Google Drive interface with the AODocs Smartbar. (see links above in the article)
Please sign in to leave a comment.