

Takeout allows you to download everything in zipped up folders. This includes everything from your Gmail account to your documents in Google Drive.

In a nutshell, Google Takeout is a way to download your data from your Google products. So how can you ensure that you maintain access to all of those resources in your Google Drive once your district pulls the plug? Luckily, it's totally doable using Google Takeout. However, when you lose access to your school accounts, that includes your district Google account. You put them in your Google Drive because, well, it's cloud-based, which means both safe and convenient. After all, you've spent countless hours (and money) creating resources, compiling lessons you've found across the web, and saving resources other teachers have shared with you. Whatever the case, the clock is ticking because you're about to lose access to all your files. Maybe you're headed to a new district, or you're taking a break while you figure out your next move. “Disable options to download, print, and copy for commenters and viewers” is a neat addition, but it’s not a foolproof security or privacy feature.It's the end of the school year, and you're moving on.

It’s a way to communicate that the file owner doesn’t want the contents to be shared broadly. This feature is meant as a deterrent and a reminder. Google described the feature as “perfect for when the file you’re sharing contains sensitive information that you don’t want shared broadly or leaked.” That said, remember that you’re still sharing the file: If someone really wants, they can manually reproduce the content, or just screenshot each page. This is very much limited to the Google ecosystem: If you share the file via email, Google can’t help you.Ī notification at the top of the File and Edit menus will let the user know a given file has been limited: Being the file owner is a requirement (though if you really want, you could make a copy of the file, limit it, and then re-share it).įinally, this feature removes all entry points for downloading, printing, and copying in not just Google Drive, but also Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides on all platforms.

This makes sense: If a file is shared with you, you can’t then go ahead and disable downloading, printing, and copying for it. Next, you can’t enable this feature if you don’t own the file. First off, this is only available on Google Drive for the Web (though presumably it will arrive on other platforms sometime soon). There are some more restrictions you should be aware of. On the flipside, developers can access this functionality through the Google Drive API. Note that you can’t choose to limit one or two of the three options: If you’re disabling downloading, you’re also disabling printing and copying.
