How to share a folder in Windows 11

When working with several people on a project, thanks to the options that Windows offers us when sharing folders, we have different methods, depending on whether we only want to share the content, work on the same file, send the project to the client or teacher …

In this article we are going to show you how to share a folder in Windows 11. If we take into account that all the methods that we show you to show in the article are the same as in Windows 10, if you have not yet updated or your computer is not compatible with Windows 11, you can also use them.

Share folders via the cloud

Although you do not have the need to use a storage platform to store your files, it is more than advisable to use one, especially when we want to have on hand certain types of documents that we may need at any time of the day, either personally or professionally.

This is where storage platforms offer us their main virtue: having access to any file stored on our computer and that, in addition, is in sync with a storage platform.

OneDrive, iCloud Drive and Google drive, the three most used platforms in the world, offers us an application for Windows, an application that is responsible for synchronizing all the files on our computer with the cloud and that, in addition, offers us the possibility of sharing content quickly and easily .

When sharing the document or folder, we can specify what type of permissions will have the users that we invite to access it. If we want it to modify the files, ideal for when working together on a file, we must grant it read and write permissions.

But, if we only want you to have access, but do not modify it, we will only have to give it read permissions. Next, we show you how to share folders with Windows through the different cloud storage platforms.

Share a folder through OneDrive

In order to use Windows 11 (as in Windows 10), it is necessary to have a Microsoft account (@outlook, @hotmail, @ msn …). All Microsoft accounts offer us 5 GB of storage space for free through OneDrive, a space that can be more than enough to share documents and / or projects with other people.

As OneDrive is Microsoft’s storage platform, it is integrated into Windows, so sharing a folder or document through Windows 11 is a very quick and easy process by following the instructions that I show you below.

• First, we go to the folder that we want to share.
• Next, we click on the right mouse button.
• In the drop-down menu, we select the option Share and we select the emails of the people with whom we want to share the folder and the permissions they will have. Finally, click on Apply.
• Finally, the link to share the folder will be displayed, a link that we can send to the users who will have access to the folder.

This last option is not necessary because OneDrive will take care of sending you an email with the link.

Through OneDrive, we can only share only one folder that is stored within OneDrive.

Share a folder via iCloud

Apple’s storage platform also offers 5 GB of free space to all users with an Apple account. Through the iCloud application available in the Microsoft StoreWe can also manage each and every document stored in the Apple cloud as if we were using a Mac, iPhone or iPad.

To share a folder through iCloud in Windows we will perform the following steps:

• We go to the Windows folder that we want to share and press the right mouse button.
• Next, click on Share with iCloud Drive – Share.
• Next, we enter the emails of all the people who will have access to that document and set the permissions they will have: read only or read and write.
• Finally, we click on apply.

Through iCloud Drive, we can only share only one folder that is stored within iCloud Drive.

Share a folder through Google Drive

The process to share a folder through Windows 11 is different from what we can find in OneDrive and iCloud Drive, since, instead of creating a folder in Windows Explorer, it creates one more unit.

The first thing we must do is download the Google Drive application on our device through this link.

For CShare a Google Drive folder stored in Windows 11, we perform the following steps:

• First, we go to the Google Drive and locate the folder that we want to share.
• Next, click on the right button and select the Share option.
• We enter the email addresses of all the people who will have access to it and the permissions that they will have by clicking on the gear wheel and clicking on Done.

Through Google Drive, we can only share only a folder that is stored within Google Drive.

Share a folder over a network

If our intention is to share a folder on the network, so that other users of our team can have access to it, we carry out the steps that we show you below:

• We go to the folder we want to share and press the right mouse button.
• In the drop-down menu, click on the option Grant access – Specific users.
• Next, we select the users that are displayed or we enter the emails from user accounts of computers connected to the same network.
• To share the folder, click on the button Share.

Share with a nearby device

This option only allows us to share documents or images, as well as websites with a device that we have nearby. It does not allow us to share folders. If we want to share a folder with a nearby device, the fastest method and that both connect to the same Wi-Fi network and share the folder as I mentioned in the previous section.

Share a folder via email

The best way to share a folder with other people is through a cloud storage platform, as I have explained above, since it offers us a versatility that we will never find by sharing folders through email or through a pendrive.

However, if it is the only option you have available, then we show you the steps to follow to share a folder through email.

The first thing we must do, so that the total size of the folder is reduced, is to compress it. To compress a folder, we do not place on it, we press the right mouse button and select the option Send – Compressed folder. The result will be a .zip file.

This format is natively compatible with Windows, just like macOS, so it is not necessary to install any application to be able to unzip the file.

Next, we go to the email application or web service that we use, create a new email and click on the Attach option or a clip that represents this function. Finally we click on Send.