Google Drive Security Update Will Change Shared File Links

Google is applying a new security update to Google Drive to make sharing links more secure. The security update will affect some files and it change the shared file links for impacted files.

The company has stated that access to these files will not be affected for those people who have already opened and viewed the impacted files.

However, when new users try to access the file via the old shareable link, they will be presented with a page to request access while the owner of the file will get an email asking for approval.

It bears mentioning that this security update will be applied to Google Drive on September 13, 2021 and it is recommended that users update the links (URLs) to the shared files anywhere they have been posted to avoid the access requests.

What do I need to do?

You can choose to remove this security update in Drive, but removing the update is not recommended and should only be considered for files that are posted publicly.

What type of files will be affected?

The security update to Google Drive will only affect non-native files (such as Microsoft Word, PDF, etc.) which have been shared prior to November 2017 while Google files like Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms will not be impacted by the update.

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