You may embed documents or folders in a webpage or link to them.
Who can see them? You choose by sharing the file or folder with the right audience.
Your department’s documents should be stored in a shared drive; each wing staff department has one. You add documents to webpages from your shared drive.
Share files for individuals to view or edit.
Share files for the public to view.
Ensure your assistants and successors have everything they need to do their job.
See your shared drives.
See who has access to your department shared drive – find yours under Drive Name.
In Google Drive, select the file or folder and click the share button.
For detailed help, see: Share files, Share folders
When you click the Share button, you will use the Get link window to set sharing permissions, both when embedding a document in a webpage and when linking to it. Yes, this is confusing.
You may share with:
Nobody (unshared)
Specific individuals
Every WAWG member
Everyone in the world (public)
See below for how the sharing settings look.
Anyone without permission to a link will be prompted to sign in.
Anyone without permission to an embedded document will see a grey placeholder (empty black box on mobile devices):
No individuals have been added in the top window and the bottom window is set to Restricted (to only those in the top window).
No individuals have been added in the top window and the bottom window is set to Washington Wing.
No individuals have been added in the top window and the bottom window is set to Anyone with the link.
Adding individual WAWG members to the top window and setting the bottom window to Restricted allows only those people to see the document.
Linking to a file opens it in a new browser window and allows the user to get the experience Google has designed for viewing that type of content on the user's particular device. Linking may be better than embedding for either folders or files but embedding can be desirable in some cases; it depends on your webpage.
When embedding files or folders, some information may be cut off depending on the size of the embed you place on the webpage. The embed will be scrollable, but this may be a poor experience for the user, especially on a small device like a cell phone.
Caution: Embedded folders may show as empty on mobile devices. The user may need to tap the folder to attempt to open it in the Google Drive App.
Embedded folder with truncated view
Embedded file on a narrow screen
You can test what you see with each of the examples below by viewing this page while signed in with your WAWG account and when signed out (open this page in a private browser window).
Embedded Document
Embedded folder
Embedded Document
Embedded Folder
Embedded Document
Embedded Folder