Google Drive Updates & Release Notes

Gemini-powered AI classification in Google Drive is now available in open beta.

By automating file identification and labeling across Drive, AI classification helps organizations enforce granular data loss prevention (DLP) policies at scale, establish retention rules, and utilize label metadata during audit investigations. This also becomes a critical aspect in elevating an organization’s security posture in the agentic era, preventing agentic workflows from accessing and acting autonomously on sensitive data.

This feature leverages Gemini models to apply data classification labels to files in Google Drive. Previously, AI classification required admins to identify and manually label training files for the AI model to learn the types of data associated with each data classification level. With this new capability, Gemini models offer admins an alternative method for data classification that is faster and more efficient, eliminating the need for manual model training and replacing it with administrator-defined instructions.

In the Admin console, Gemini models interpret instructions, evaluate files, and apply appropriate data classification labels.

Administrators maintain full control of the Gemini-based data classification process. They select the label, provide Gemini with instructions, and scope the audience for the files being evaluated. For Gemini-labeled files, editors and owners of those files with the appropriate label permissions will have the opportunity to either review and accept, or modify the automatically-applied label. Audit logs capture when files are labeled, including any user acceptance or modification of a Gemini-applied label.

In the Admin console, once enabled, Workspace Admins can see metrics on the labels applied to files by Gemini.

Data classification is a critical activity for organizations that are conscious about data protection, compliance, and reporting. However, data classification can also be challenging to put into practice, particularly when it comes to accurately classifying files at scale. By using the new Gemini-based capabilities in AI classification for Drive, admins are able to achieve a higher degree of data classification accuracy at scale.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout to Open Beta — targeting completion by September 30th.

Getting started

• Admins: For customers on a supported product license, the option for configuring Gemini-based AI classification instructions will appear in the Workspace Admin Console under the Data Classification option in the Security section (Security > Access and data control > Data classification). Use our Help Center to learn more.
• End users: There is no end user setting for this feature.

Availability

• Enterprise: Enterprise Plus
• Education: Google AI Pro for Education
• Other Editions: Frontline Plus

Resources

• Google Drive Help: Label Google Drive files automatically using AI classification | Security & data protection

Client-side encryption (CSE) provides organizations control over access to their confidential data, with customer controlled encryption keys and data that is indecipherable to third-parties, including Google. Google Drive now supports direct file previewing for CSE files. Previously, users needed to download encrypted non-native files to their local devices to view the contents. With this capability, authorized users can immediately preview encrypted content in their web browser without leaving Drive.

This feature streamlines productivity and bolsters security by eliminating unnecessary downloads. At launch, preview is supported only on Drive, and for:

• Encrypted PDF documents
• Encrypted Image file formats

Admins with eligible Workspace licenses can sign up for the beta program, which provides access to the feature.

Getting started

• Admins: Admins with eligible Workspace licenses can sign up for the beta program. We’ll provide more information on how to get started if you’re accepted.
• End users: This feature is ON for users in domains that have registered for the beta program.

Availability

• Enterprise: Enterprise Plus
• Education: Education Standard and Plus
• Other Editions: Frontline Plus, Assured Controls, Assured Controls Plus

Resources

• Google Workspace Admin Help: About client-side encryption
• Beta Application: Registration form

Administrators using Drive Inventory Reporting in Google BigQuery can now access granular external sharing fields designed to simplify complex permission structures. By automatically consolidating direct permissions, group memberships, and public links into clear signals, this update helps organizations easily identify external exposure across their Drive environments.
Administrators can now distinguish between human users, service accounts, and files published to the web, as well as cross-reference sharing attributes with existing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) metadata to prioritize remediation for high-risk data.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature will be OFF by default and can be enabled via the "External sharing calculations" setting under Drive inventory report settings in the Google Admin console. Note that for organizations with large Google groups, enabling this calculation may extend processing time and impact report delivery schedules.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on August 14, 2026

Availability

• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard, and Plus
• Education: Education Standard, and Plus
• Other Editions: Frontline Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium

Resources

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Export your organization’s Drive inventory
• Google Workspace Admin Help: Schema and example queries for Drive inventory exports in BigQuery

We are introducing timestamped comments for videos in Google Drive on the web. Users can now anchor comments to a specific time mark in a video, making video collaboration more direct, precise, and contextual.

When reviewing a video file, users can choose between adding a timestamped comment or a general file-level comment using a split button in the commenting interface. Each timestamped comment generates a visual marker directly on the video player timeline. Clicking a marker automatically jumps to that point in the video and highlights the associated comment, allowing reviewers and video owners to navigate feedback without manually scrubbing through media files. Standard commenting capabilities—such as editing, resolving, replying, and mentioning colleagues with @ notifications—remain fully supported and integrated with time-anchored notes.

This feature streamlines cross-functional workflows by eliminating the need to track timecoded feedback in separate documents, chat threads, or emails. Teams producing demos, training videos, marketing content, or recorded presentations can now conduct precise, asynchronous reviews directly within Drive. While timestamped comments must be created on the web, mobile users viewing videos on iOS or Android will still see these entries formatted as standard file-level comments.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature will be available by default for all users. There is no admin control for this feature.
• End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about commenting on videos.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

• Google Help: Store & play video in Google Drive - Comment on a video

In April, we announced the general availability for Drive AI Overviews in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps.

Instead of searching through endless files and opening dozens of tabs to find the information you need, you can now get instant answers right at the top of your search results. Gemini does the heavy lifting for you, scanning your documents to provide clear, reliable summaries.

Here is how it helps you work smarter:

• See the big picture:
  Get a quick summary of information pulled from multiple files without needing to open each one.

• Ask naturally:
  There’s no need to use complicated search tricks. Just ask a question as you would to a colleague, like "What’s in our Spring 2026 catalog?"

• Get the right answer:
  Gemini automatically understands what you’re looking for, whether it’s a quick fact, a project summary, or a list of specific documents, and adjusts its response to match.

• Dig deeper with ease:
  If you need more information, you can go from a quick summary to a deeper conversation with Ask Gemini in just one click.

• Control your AI Overviews scope:
  Use AI Overview search settings to choose which Google Workspace apps Gemini uses to find files and generate AI Overviews.

This feature will roll out in English and an additional 28 languages (the same as those supposed for Gemini in Drive side panel) over the next several weeks.

Getting started

• Admins:
  This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.

• End users:
  You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use AI Overviews in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting answers directly in Drive search.

Rollout pace

• Rapid and Scheduled Release domains:
  Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 26, 2026

Availability

• Business:
  Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise:
  Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer:
  Google AI Pro and Ultra
• AI Add-ons:
  Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

• Google Help:
  Search & retrieve your files in Drive with Gemini

In April, we announced the general availability of Ask Gemini in Drive on the web. We’re now bringing this feature to the Drive Android and iOS apps.

Ask Gemini in Drive offers you a dedicated, immersive workspace designed for deep focus. You can now engage in high-context, multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content across Drive, other Workspace apps, and the web.

Key features include

• Dedicated conversations: Engage in focused discussions about specific sets of files and folders. By grounding your questions in the relevant content, you get more precise, actionable answers.
• Persistent conversation history: Easily pick up where you left off. Your past chats are saved, allowing you to quickly revisit previous insights about specific folders or projects without starting over.
• Secure and compliant: Ask Gemini in Drive is built directly into the Drive architecture, it never copies or replicates your files. It honors your existing data protection and security controls, including access permissions, DLP policies, and IRM, ensuring Gemini only accesses content you are authorized to see.

This feature will roll out in English and an additional 28 languages over the next several weeks.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
• End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Ask Gemini in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Ask Gemini in Drive.

Rollout pace

• Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 26, 2026

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
• AI Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

• Google Drive Help: Use Gemini in Drive for research & analysis

Google Drive is introducing alignment approvals, a lightweight mechanism that allows teams to request and record document sign-offs without file changes resetting the approval flow. When a document is in a partially approved state, collaborators can continue making edits without resetting any recorded approver decisions.

Alignment approvals can be initiated via a new checkbox within the standard request dialog across web clients.

When checked, "Require all approvers to review the same content" resets pending approvals if the file content changes. This is the default behavior.

When unchecked, changes to the file content don't reset pending approvals.

This feature serves use cases where strict content locking is unnecessary, making it easier for teams to maintain momentum on fluid projects. While an approval remains pending, individual approvers retain the flexibility to manually reset their approved status back to pending if subsequent content edits no longer match their expectations.

This update follows a series of recent enhancements to the Drive approvals ecosystem, including programmatic approval management with the Drive API.

Getting started

• Admins: Approval requests are enabled by default and can be disabled at the domain, OU, and group level. There is no admin setting that controls alignment approvals specifically; users can access them if they have access to the broader approval request feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing Drive approvals.
• End users: Alignment approvals will be off by default and can be enabled by the user. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting approvals in Drive.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) started on June 2, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on June 15, 2026

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus
• Education: Education Plus
• Other Editions: Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus; Nonprofits
• Education Add-ons: Teaching and Learning

Resources

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Manage approvals
• Google Drive Help: Get approvals on files in Google Drive
• Google Workspace Developer Documentation: Manage approvals

Gmail sources in Ask Gemini in Drive is now generally available and has started rolling out to eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans.

Ask Gemini in Drive offers a dedicated, immersive workspace designed for deep focus. Users can engage in high-context, multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content.

Previously, users could only add files and folders as sources within Ask Gemini in Drive. Now, users can unlock deeper insights by adding Gmail threads as sources in Ask Gemini for Drive. Users can ground their responses in a complete view of their business context—spanning emails, files, and folders—to ensure the most helpful and accurate answers possible.

Visit the Help Center for more information on the locations and languages where Ask Gemini in Drive is currently supported.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
• End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Ask Gemini in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Ask Gemini in Drive.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 3, 2026

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
• Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education
• Other Add-ons: AI Expanded Access

Resources

• Google Drive Help: Use Gemini in Drive for research & analysis
• Google Drive Help: Learn how to use sources with Google Workspace with Gemini
• Google Drive Help: Share your Gemini sources using Drive projects

Tired of scanning one page at a time? With the new Document Scanner in Google Drive on Android, you can now scan multiple pages at the same time. Flip through the pages of a book or lay your receipts out on a table and our Document Scanner will identify, separate, and capture each page within the camera view. It even detects duplicates to prevent accidental re-scans.

Note this is only available for Android devices with 8GB+ RAM.

Getting started

• Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
• End users: Visit the Help Center to learn more about scanning documents with Drive.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

• Google Help: Scan documents with Google Drive

In October 2025, we launched a beta for Organize My Files in Drive. This feature is now generally available and has started rolling out to eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans.

It can be overwhelming to see loose files in your Drive and moving them into the right folder can be manual, tedious, and repetitive. Gemini can help you organize your Drive by providing suggestions of where to move loose files based on your organizing structure and strategies.

Users can access this view through a dedicated entry point titled “Suggest File Moves” within My Drive and parent folders. The dedicated interface displays recommendations divided into two sections: moving files to existing folders, and creating new folders for related file groupings. End users can review these recommendations before any files are relocated.

The interface supports several interactive adjustments:

• Reviewing files and folders through hovercards or opening them in a new tab.
• Selecting or deselecting specific file suggestions using checkboxes.
• Customizing target destinations or renaming proposed new folders directly inline.

Once the user approves the selection, the system performs a batch move and prompts the user to confirm any resulting permission changes. This feature helps users in reducing digital clutter and maintaining organized file structures with minimal manual effort.

Note that this feature is available globally in English.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
• End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Organize My Files in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about letting Gemini organize your files.

Note: Through July 15, 2026, Workspace customers will get promotional access to higher limits for Organize My Files, allowing users to experiment with this feature. Users will see a notification when they use this feature to inform them of the limited higher promotional access period. Per-user usage limits will apply after that date; we’ll provide more information in the Help Center in advance of updated usage limits going into effect.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
• Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education
• Other Add-ons: AI Expanded Access

Resources

• Google Drive Help: Let Gemini organize your files

Previously available in beta, client-side encryption (CSE) customers can now conduct bulk migrations of sensitive files from both cloud and on-premises data sources. This process ensures confidential content is wrapped with customer-managed keys before it's imported into Google Workspace. Using this tooling, CSE customers can decommission their legacy third-party storage while ensuring the CSE model is in place throughout the document lifecycle. The API is highly configurable, we share a generalized sample code to make deployment simple, but customers can further customize it depending on their needs.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature will be ON by default for customers. Admins or authorized users will need to call the Drive API to leverage the feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
• End users: There is no end-user setting in Drive for this feature.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

• Enterprise: Enterprise Plus
• Education: Education Standard and Plus
• Other Editions: Frontline Plus

Resources

• Google Workspace: Google Drive API overview
• Google Workspace: Manage client-side encrypted files with the Drive API
• Google Workspace: Best practices for bulk importing client-side encrypted files
• Code sample: GitHub, PyPI
• Keyword: Import sensitive external files to Google Drive with client-side encryption using the Drive API, launching in beta
• Knowledge: About client-side encryption

In March, we announced a beta for Ask Gemini in Drive. This feature is now generally available and has started rolling out to eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans.

Google Drive isn’t just a place to store your work, it’s now the place to understand it. We’ve reimagined the experience with Gemini now offering a dedicated, immersive workspace designed for deep focus. You can now engage in high-context, multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content across Drive, Workspace apps, and the web.

Whether you are synthesizing years of client proposals or uncovering hidden customer trends, Ask Gemini in Drive provides a holistic view of your entire body of work.

Key features include:

• Dedicated conversations: Engage in focused discussions about specific sets of files and folders. By grounding your questions in the relevant content, you get more precise, actionable answers.
• Drive projects: Organize your work more effectively with Drive projects. This new feature in Drive allows you to curate related files and folders into a central, always up-to-date, and shared knowledge base, making it easier to manage complex workflows and keep your team aligned.
• Persistent conversation history: Easily pick up where you left off. Your past chats are saved, allowing you to quickly revisit previous insights about specific folders or projects without starting over.
• Secure and compliant: Ask Gemini in Drive and projects are built directly into the Drive architecture, it never copies or replicates your files. It honors your existing data protection and security controls, including access permissions, DLP policies, and IRM, ensuring Gemini only accesses content you are authorized to see.

Find and understand information across your Drive files, Workspace apps, and the entire internet

With this launch, we’re also expanding language support. Ask Gemini in Drive will roll out to all 29 languages currently supported in the Gemini side panel over the coming weeks (see the Rollout pace section below for more details).

Getting started

• Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
• End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use Ask Gemini in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about Ask Gemini in Drive.

Rollout pace

Ask Gemini in Drive in English:

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 22, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2026

Ask Gemini in Drive in 28 additional languages:

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 26, 2026

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
• AI Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

• Google Help: Use Gemini in Drive for research & analysis
• Google Workspace Blog: Introducing Workspace Intelligence

In March, we announced a beta for AI Overviews in Drive. This feature is now generally available and has started rolling out to eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans.

Instead of searching through endless files and opening dozens of tabs to find the information you need, you can now get instant answers right at the top of your search results. Gemini does the heavy lifting for you, scanning your documents to provide clear, reliable summaries.

Here is how it helps you work smarter:

• See the big picture: Get a quick summary of information pulled from multiple files without needing to open each one.
• Ask naturally: There’s no need to use complicated search tricks. Just ask a question as you would to a colleague, like "What’s in our Spring 2026 catalog?"
• Get the right answer: Gemini automatically understands what you’re looking for, whether it’s a quick fact, a project summary, or a list of specific documents, and adjusts its response to match.
• Dig deeper with ease: If you need more information, you can go from a quick summary to a deeper conversation with Gemini in just one click.

Getting started

• Admins: This feature is available by default if Gemini for Workspace in Drive is enabled.
• End users: You must have Workspace smart features enabled to use AI Overviews in Drive. Visit the Help Center to learn more about getting answers directly in Drive search.

Rollout pace

AI Overviews in Drive in English:

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 22, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 7, 2026

AI Overviews in Drive in 28 additional languages:

• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 6, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on May 26, 2026

Availability

• Business: Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Consumer: Google AI Pro and Ultra
• AI Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education

Resources

• Google Help: Search & retrieve your files in Drive with Gemini
• Google Workspace Blog: Introducing Workspace Intelligence

Last year, we stopped allowing restricted access on specific files and folders within a shared folder in Google Drive, and instead required that restricted access be managed consistently via the limited access folder setting. With this update, all items with legacy restricted access will be automatically migrated to use the limited access setting instead. There will be no change to who can see or access the files.

After the migration to the limited access setting, any user can audit the files they own with limited access by using the Drive search operators owner:me is:limitedaccess.

Items that were automatically migrated will show limited access was applied by Google Drive.

Items with limited access applied will show the updated sharing experience.

Getting started

• Admins: There is no admin control for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.
• End users: There is no end user setting for this feature. Visit the Help Center to learn more.

Rollout pace

• Personal Google accounts: Available now
• Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 9, 2026
• Scheduled Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on April 16, 2026

Availability

• Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts

Resources

• Google Help: Learn about limited access to files and folders in Google Drive
• Google Workspace Updates Blog: Upcoming Change to Drive Sharing Permissions

In September 2025, we launched ransomware detection and file restoration in beta to help organizations minimize the impact of malware attacks on personal computers. Today, we’re excited to share these two features are generally available with significant improvements in malware detection.

Compared to when the feature was in beta, we are now able to detect even more types of ransomware encryption and are able to do it faster. Our latest AI model is detecting 14x more infections, leading to even more comprehensive protection.

Thousands of users have tested file restoration, demonstrating that it’s scalable and reliable.

• Ransomware detection: When users have Google Drive for desktop installed on their computers, file syncing will be paused when ransomware is detected. The user will see a notification appear on their computer. Admins will see an alert in the Admin console security center; notification emails will be delivered to both users and admins.
• File restoration: Users are able to bulk restore their files to a previous version in Drive with ease, saving them time and money without paying a ransom. Users can select and restore multiple files prior to when ransomware infected their computer, making their files inaccessible.

Getting started

• Admins:

  • Ransomware detection will be on by default for users in your organization. You can turn it on or off at the OU level by going to Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Drive and Docs > Malware and Ransomware. If ransomware is detected for your users, admins will receive an email and get an alert in the Alert center.
  • Drive file restoration will be on by default. You can turn it on or off at Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Drive and Docs > Drive file restoration.
  • Install the latest version of Drive for desktop on user computers (v.114 or later) to enable the detection alerts (syncing will still be paused on older versions).
  • Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing ransomware detection and file restoration for your organization.

• End users: The availability of this feature will depend on your admin’s settings. If turned on and ransomware is detected, you will see the alerts and access the interface below. Visit the Help Center to learn more about restoring files in bulk with Google Drive.

Rollout pace

• Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains: Available now

Availability

• File restoration
  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts
• Ransomware detection
  • Business: Business Standard and Plus
  • Enterprise: Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus
  • Education: Education Standard and Plus
  • Other Editions: Frontline Standard and Plus

Resources

• Google Workspace Admin Help: Detect ransomware and recover files in Drive for desktop
• Google Help: Restore files in bulk with Google Drive
• Workspace Blog: Block ransomware proliferation and easily restore files with AI in Google Drive
• Google Workspace Updates Blog: Ransomware detection and file restoration for Google Drive available in beta