Collecting media
Let people upload to your Google Drive without sharing your whole Drive
You want friends, family or clients to add files to your Google Drive, but not to sign in, and definitely not to see your other folders. Here is the safe, no-account way to let anyone upload to one folder.
Daniel Okafor
Engineer at Galrivo··3 min read
Letting other people add files to your Google Drive sounds simple, until you try it. Share a folder with edit access and people are asked to sign in to Google, can rename or delete things, and sometimes see more than you meant. There is a cleaner way that asks nothing of the people uploading and never exposes the rest of your Drive: an upload link.
The built-in Drive way, and where it bites
Google Drive can let people add files if you share a folder and give them the Editor role. It works, but it comes with strings:
- People usually need a Google account and have to sign in.
- Editors can rename, move or delete files, not just add them.
- It is fiddly to set up on a phone, where most people actually are.
- There is no password, no per-person control, and no easy size limit.
Edit access is a big door
The upload-link way
An upload link points at one folder and one folder only. People you send it to can add photos, videos and audio, and nothing else. They cannot browse, rename or delete other files, and they do not need a Google account. You stay in control of who uploads and how much.
| Shared Drive folder | Upload link | |
|---|---|---|
| Account needed to upload | Usually yes | No |
| Can see your other files | Sometimes | Never |
| Can rename or delete | Yes (Editor) | No, only add |
| Password and limits | No | Yes |
| Works easily on a phone | Fiddly | Yes |
Setting up a safe upload link
It points at a fresh folder in your Drive, so the rest stays private.
Tap New, then "Create a collect link"
On your dashboard, tap New and choose the collect side.
make something
What would you like to make?
Name the folder uploads land in
Galrivo makes this single folder in your Drive. Nothing else in your Drive is ever touched or visible.
Folder name
We'll make this folder in your Drive and drop every upload inside it.
Choose who can upload
Allow anyone with the link, ask people to sign in so names are attached, or approve each person yourself before they can add anything.
Who can upload
Copy the link and share it
Send it by email, message or QR code. People upload without ever seeing the rest of your Drive.
Upload link
What the people uploading see
A single page with the title you gave it. They add files by dragging them in, choosing from their device, or taking a photo. They see a progress bar and a thank-you, and that is the entire experience. They never reach a sign-in wall or your other folders.
add your media
Add your files
What you keep control of
- A password, so only people you give it to can upload at all.
- Who can upload: anyone, signed-in people, or only those you approve.
- Per-file size limits and a total cap, so nobody floods your Drive.
- A closing date, after which the link quietly stops taking uploads.
- Delete-your-own, so people can fix a wrong file without touching others.
collect link
Project files inbox
Uploads land in your Drive folder · 24 files so far
Mum
Raj
Aunt Lily
Sam
Priya
Tom
Mum
DevKey takeaways
- Sharing a Drive folder with Editor access is more than collecting media needs.
- An upload link lets people add to one folder only, with no account and no browsing.
- You keep a password, who-can-upload rules, size limits and a closing date.
- Everything still lands in your own Google Drive, so the files remain yours.
Frequently asked questions
Share your media the easy way
Turn the photos and videos in your Google Drive into one clean link, with a password and an end date if you want. Free to start, no app for the people you send it to.
Make my first galleryDaniel Okafor
Engineer at Galrivo
Daniel builds the parts of Galrivo that keep your media private. He writes about how sharing actually works under the hood, in language that skips the jargon.
