How to remove all “Anyone with the link” sharing in Google Drive

18/10/2024

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What is "Anyone with the link" sharing?

“Anyone with the link” sharing in Google Drive refers to a sharing setting that allows anyone who has the link to a file or folder to access it, without requiring them to sign in to a Google account. Depending on the permission level you set, people with the link can:

• View: They can only see the file or folder.

• Comment: They can view and leave comments on the file (for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.).

• Edit: They can make changes to the file.

Is "Anyone with the link" sharing a risk?

This type of sharing is less secure than sharing with specific users using their email addresses. Anyone who obtains the link can access the file, inside and outside of your organization. Even users without Google accounts are able to access the file via the link.

For Google admins there is no easy way to audit and control who is accessing your organization’s files if they are shared publicly.

How to remove "Anyone with the link" sharing: step-by-step instructions

Step 1: File access overview

With Florbs, you know exactly how many files in your company are shared with “Anyone with the link”. Click on the “Public access” tile in your Drive audit overview to see the list of all files shared with Anyone with the link.

Step 2: Audit files

Here you can see the list of all files owned by your organization that are shared publicly (with Anyone with the link).

You can zoom in further using the advanced filters. For example, check which files are shared with “Anyone with the link” with Edit rights.

Step 3: Manage access to many files at once

Decide which files you wish to remove access from.
It could be all files in your organization’s Google Drive, or only files that meet certain criteria, for example:

• files in the “Finance” shared drive,

• or only files owned by executive accounts

• or only files labeled “Confidential”.

Step 4: Select the action "Remove link sharing"

There are many actions available in Florbs that allow you to manage multiple files at once, such as applying labels, changing access permissions (for example, change Editors to Viewers), and so on.

In this case, you’re looking for the “Remove link sharing” option.

Step 5: Select the action "Remove link sharing"

It is possible to remove link sharing with a specific domain, but in this case you need the “Anyone with the link” option.

Step 6: Add a description

Type the description of this action to be able to find it later in your activity log, and click on “Next”.

Step 7: Impact analysis

Since your action is going to affect many files at once, we recommend reviewing the list of files that will be affected before proceeding.

It can take Florbs a couple of minutes to prepare the impact analysis, depending on the number of files that meet your criteria.

Step 8: Make sure your selection is correct

Try typing one or two keywords from the titles of files you expect to include. This will help you verify if the correct files are selected for the bulk action.

Step 9: Approve and run

Once you’ve verified that the file selection is correct, feel free to approve and run the action.

The action will be added to the list in the “Bulk file management” overview, where you’ll be able to monitor its progress and pause or cancel it if necessary.