How To Unshare A Google Doc?

How do I unshare a Google Doc? This is one of the most common questions users have encountered ever since Google Docs rolled out an update and added an option to share documents with other people.

Google Docs is a powerful online tool that enables you to manage your documents from one device to another. Since it is an online application, one of its impressive features is the ability to share your files with other users.

You can also specify whether the users with access can only be allowed to view or edit your files. However, what happens if you no longer want to share your documents? Can you stop the resource sharing?

The answer is yes. Once you “unshare” a Google Doc, all users you have shared the file with will have their access permissions instantly revoked. Here’s a detailed guide on how you can unshare your Google Doc.

Unshare Google Doc from PC

1).  Open Google Docs

You should access your Google Drive first and sign in using your Google account. Once you are signed in, you can find the exact file you want to unshare. Double click to open. Click the Share button on the upper right corner of your screen.

2).  Disable sharing to specific users

Now, find the user you want to unshare the document with. Click the dropdown menu beside that specific account, then choose Remove from the selection.

Make sure you save the changes, otherwise the access wouldn't be revoked.

Unshare Google Doc from the Android App

1).  Open Google Docs Application

Access the document you want to unshare by opening your Google Docs mobile application. Once you have opened Google Docs, click the Actions (?) button.

You will be prompted with multiple options. Simply choose ‘Share & export’ from the selection.

2).  Select the user to unshare the file with

After clicking the Share & export option, another set of choices will appear on your screen. This time, click on Share. Under the Who has access section, you’ll see multiple icons. You can just click any icon to proceed.

3).  Unshare Google Doc

You now have a more detailed view of the users you have given permissions to. Just click the specific user you want to revoke the access. You will be prompted with four options.

You can only choose between the first three choices if you want to change the role of the user. Otherwise, proceed by clicking the Remove button.

Unshare Google Doc from the iPhone App

1).  Open Google Docs application

From your home screen, access the Google Docs application. Find the specific file or folder you want to manage. The file should have a corresponding Action ( ? ) button, click that.

A pop-up menu with options will populate your screen. Select Share from the choices.

2).  Select the User to unshare the file with

Move ahead to the bottom part of your screen. Under the Who has access part are icons of users who can open the document. You may click on any icon.

Now, you can already see detailed information such as email addresses and names. Click the drop-down button corresponding to the user you want to stop sharing the file with.

3).  Unshare Google Doc

Choose the Remove Person option from the choices to revoke user’s access.

Additional Tips:

If you have no means of accessing Google Docs application, you can use your Google Drive as long as your files are saved within the Drive at the same time.

Summary: How to unshare a Google Doc?

• Sign in to your Google account.
• Open Google Docs using the link https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/#
• On the left-side menu, click "My Drive." You should see a list of all of the files you have saved in your Google Drive.
• Locate the file you want to unshare and click it once to select it. Click on the blue "Share" button on top.
• The sharing dialog box will appear with a list of users with whom this file has been shared. Click on the "X" icon next to each user name to revoke access for that user.
• Then click "Done." A confirmation box will pop up and then click "OK."
• The shared document is no longer accessible by anybody you removed as a collaborator.

Final Thoughts

Although Google Docs have made it easy for you to share your files with almost anyone that has internet access, they also made sure that you can revoke that access whenever you wish. The aforementioned steps are some of the ways you can revoke access or “unshare” your Google Doc files whenever you need to do so.