Google Drive sharing permissions update
Google is deploying an update to Google Drive that changes the way some sharing options work. Learn more from Google Workspace Updates: Upcoming Change to Drive Sharing Permissions.
Deployment timeline
The update began rolling out on 22 September 2025. It may take up to 15 days to become visible, depending on the Workspace domain in use.
What's changing?
With this update, you'll no longer be able to set a document's permissions to a more restrictive level than its parent folder.
If you try to reduce a document’s sharing permissions, you'll be prompted to modify the permissions of the parent folder instead.
In other words, items in a folder necessarily inherit the folder’s permissions. You can still add or upgrade permissions on specific items in the folder. However, you can no longer remove or restrict permissions below those set at the folder level.
Are existing permissions affected?
No, existing sharing settings for documents and folders remain unchanged.
However, after the update, any attempt to modify sharing permissions will be subject to the new inheritance rules described above.
What are the impacts on AODocs?
We're currently assessing the full impact of this change on AODocs.
For now:
- Document Management libraries aren't affected by the change, as they use a permission model independent of Google Drive folder permissions.
- Secured Folders and Team Folders are affected:
- Existing permissions on folders and documents remain unchanged.
- After the update, attempting to restrict access to a document or folder in the AODocs interface will result in an error.
What’s next?
Since AODocs permissions in Secured Folders and Team Folders rely on Google Drive permissions (unlike Document Management libraries), we will be updating the AODocs web application to align with Google Drive’s new behavior.