What's Happening
Around July 15th, 2022, Google will be automatically replacing all duplicate files and folders that were created using the "Add to my Drive" action with a modern shortcut to the original shared file.
In some extremely rare cases, this can expose potentially sensitive information because those shortcuts may become visible to others even if the original copy was not visible previously.
In all cases, access to the contents of a file will be restricted in exactly the same way and will not change. The only risk of exposure is through the file/shortcut name.
If you are concerned about the names of items you own in Google Drive being made visible to others, we offer two options:
- Prior to the change we can generate a list of the files in your account that we think will be impacted. If you would like to see your list, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/t2oM4e15uh8aKUKt9
- OR after the change process has completed, you can search for files that were changed by typing "is:replaced" in the search bar of Google Drive.
Finding More Information About Your Duplicated Files
To see the duplicate locations of a specific file, click on the file in Google Drive. At the bottom of the screen, if the item is an impacted file, you'll see bar with a number of folders.
To see the exact locations of each copy, click anywhere in the bar on the bottom of the page. It will expand to show you the locations of the item.
Searching for Impacted Files after the Change
After the duplicates have been converted to shortcuts, you can easily find your impacted files by typing "is:replaced" in the Google Drive search bar.