Here’s what Google’s new security update to Drive means for you

Here’s how the update works:

Essentially, Google’s two settings for sharing documents from drive included a single person way, which required users to manually add users to the sharing list of a file and keep access limited to only those who need to access it. The other option was a “get link” option, that allowed anyone with the link to access the file. It’s akin to unlisted videos on YouTube, which means that the link has to be manually shared with others in order for them to access it. It’s not particularly private though, since anyone with access to the link will be able to view, edit or comment on the content, depending on what sharing settings the user has chosen.

With the new update, Google is adding a “resource key” to the end of these links, which makes it more difficult for users and software to guess these links. Since this will be applied to all links, including the ones you’ve shared in the past, it might break the links you’ve shared already. You will have to manually reshare the link of a document that you may have shared in the past.

Google is also allowing users to check which links are affected by the update by heading over to drive.google.com/drive/update-drives. As long as you’re logged into Google on Chrome, this link should display a list of affected files. It will also allow you to remove the security update from these files, though that’s not a recommended move. Google Workspace users will have more control on how the security update is applied.

The tech giant also added an update that allows users to block others from sharing files with them. It’s a feature meant to tackle spam, something Google admitted was a problem, back in 2019. Drive will start showing a block button when someone shares a file with you, meaning it will be more difficult to spam users simply because they have your email address.