Sharing Files and Folders

StretchDrive gives you two complementary ways to share: direct access (grant a named person, group, or your whole organization a role) and share links (a URL anyone can open, with optional guardrails). This guide covers both.

Understanding roles

Every share assigns a role that defines what the recipient can do:

• Viewer — open, preview, and download.
• Commenter — everything a Viewer can do, plus add comments (in connected editors).
• Editor — view, edit, upload new versions, rename, move, create subfolders, and share.
• Owner — full control, including deleting.

A key rule: you can never grant a role higher than your own. If you're an Editor on a folder, the highest role you can hand out is Editor.

Sharing directly with people, groups, or your org

1. Select the file or folder and open Share.
2. Choose who to share with:
- a specific person (user),
- a group (a team defined in your workspace), or
- your entire organization (everyone in the workspace).
3. Pick a role (Viewer, Commenter, Editor, or Owner).
4. Confirm. The recipient(s) immediately gain that access.

Because folder permissions inherit downward, sharing a folder as Editor gives the recipient Editor access to everything inside it, now and in the future. This makes folders the ideal unit for team access.

Publishing a share link

When you need to send a file to someone who may not be in your workspace, use a share link:

1. Select the file or folder and choose Create link (or the link option in Share).
2. Configure the link:
- Role — Viewer, Commenter, or Editor. (Links are capped at Editor; you can't create an Owner link.)
- Password — optional; recipients must enter it to open the link.
- Expiry date — optional; after this date the link stops working.
- Allow download — on by default; turn it off to let people view but not download.
3. Copy the generated link and send it.

Passwords are stored securely (hashed), never in plain text, and an expired or revoked link simply stops granting access.

Managing and revoking access

• See who has access. Open a resource's links or permissions list to review every active share.
• Revoke a link. Choose Revoke on the link; it stops working immediately.
• Remove a person's access. Delete their permission entry. This applies whether it was granted on that item or inherited from a parent folder you can manage.

A realistic example

You need to deliver a proposal to a prospect and collaborate on the source files with a freelancer. For the freelancer, you share the working folder Proposal – Draft directly, as Editor, so they can add and revise files. For the prospect, you generate a Viewer share link to the final Proposal.pdf, set a password, add a 14-day expiry, and leave download on so they can save a copy. Two weeks later the link expires automatically; the freelancer's Editor access remains until you remove it after the project.

Tips

• Share folders, not individual files, when a person needs ongoing access to a body of work — inheritance keeps it effortless.
• Use share links with expiry for external recipients so access ends on its own.
• Turn download off for view-only distribution of sensitive documents.
• Add a password whenever a link might be forwarded beyond its intended recipient.
• Review your links list periodically and revoke anything no longer needed.

FAQ

What's the difference between a permission and a link? A permission grants a known person, group, or org a role inside your workspace. A link is a shareable URL that grants its role to anyone who opens it (subject to password/expiry).

Can external people get Editor access via a link? Yes, links support up to Editor. Use passwords and expiry to control this carefully.

If I revoke a link, do downloaded copies disappear? No — revoking stops future access, but it can't recall files someone already downloaded.

Why can't I grant Owner? Either you're not an Owner yourself, or you're creating a link (links max out at Editor).