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My Drive vs. Shared Drives

There are two options for Google Drives:

  • Each user has an individual Google Drive.
  • Shared Drives are designed for team collaboration.
FAQ Individual Google Drive Shared Drives
Who owns files and folders? Individual who created file or folder Members of the shared drive. The drive "Managers" have the greatest control over the files and the drive.
Can I restore files? Yes, if you created the file Yes, if you have Edit access or Full access
Can I move files? Yes From an individual Google Drive to a Shared Drive: Yes, if you are Owner of the file and have at least Edit access in the Team Drive.

Between Shared Drives: Yes, if you have Full access in the original Shared Drive and at least Edit access in the destination Shared Drive.
Sharing? You can share files or folders in your individual drive with other users, however, using a Google Shared Drive to collaborate is a better practice. Shared Drives protect content from potential removal should one or more contributors separate from the university. All Shared Drive members see all of the files and folders. 

You can set more granular permissions on files or folders for access by non-members. 
Quotas

Individual drive have a quota of 20 GB

 Most shared drives have a default 20 GB quota.  

If you need more than 20 GB and are bumping up against the limit, request more storage.