Do Google Drive links expire? How long a Drive link lasts, and what actually ends it
Do Google Drive links expire? How long a Drive link lasts, and what actually ends it
A Google Drive link does not expire. It lasts for as long as the file exists and its sharing setting stays open, which can be years. What ends a Drive link is always an action, never a timer: the owner restricts access, a work account adds an expiry date, the file is permanently deleted, or the account that owns it goes away. Here is each case, what the recipient sees, and how to put a real expiry on a file when you want one. Checked against Google's help pages on 5 Oct 2026.
Everything that can end a Google Drive link
| What happens | When | What the recipient sees |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing happens | Never. Drive puts no time limit on a sharing link | The file, for as long as the file and the sharing setting exist |
| Owner sets General access back to Restricted | Whenever the owner (or an admin policy) changes it | “You need access” with a Request access button |
| Owner adds an expiration date (work or school accounts) | Any date within one year of setting it | “You need access” once the date passes |
| File moved to the Trash | Deleted forever after 30 days in the Trash | Still opens while in the Trash; gone after permanent deletion |
| Owner's account is inactive | Google may delete an account unused for 2 years | The file no longer exists |
| Link in Seconds link | Never, unless you delete it (free: 20 links, 100 MB total) | The file in the browser, no Google account needed |
Why Drive links feel like they expire anyway
People search "how long does a Google Drive link last" because a link they sent stopped working. In almost every case nothing expired. One of three things happened:
The sharing setting changed
A Drive link only works for people the sharing setting allows. "Anyone with the link" means exactly that: Google says anyone who has the link can use your file without signing in. Flip General access back to Restricted and every copy of that link now shows "You need access". Workspace admins can also force this for a whole domain, which is why a link that worked for months can stop the day after an IT policy change.
The recipient is signed into the wrong account
If you shared with one address and they open the link while signed into another, they get the same Request access wall. The link is fine; the identity is not. This one causes more "your link is broken" replies than every real deletion combined. We walk through all six causes of that screen, with the fix for each, in Google Drive link says Request access.
The file was tidied away
Trash is the quiet killer. A file in the Trash still opens for people with access, so nothing looks wrong. Thirty days later Google deletes it forever, and the link dies with it, long after anyone remembers the clean-up. Moving a file into a folder with stricter permissions does the same thing with no deletion at all.
How to make a Google Drive link expire on purpose
Google does support expiring access, with two conditions. It needs an eligible work or school Workspace account (Business, Enterprise, Education and Nonprofits editions, plus Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers since November 2025; a free personal Gmail account does not get it), and it works on people you share with by name, not on the "Anyone with the link" setting.
- Open the file in Drive and click Share.
- Add the person's email address and choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor.
- Click the arrow next to their role and choose Add expiration.
- Pick a date within one year of today and save.
For folders, only the Viewer role can carry an expiry; an editor or commenter on a folder with an expiration drops to Viewer when the date passes. Since November 2025 the same option works for files in shared drives directly from the sharing dialog, on the web and on Android, but not from the iOS app.
If you have a personal account, there is no expiry switch. Your options are a calendar reminder to flip the file back to Restricted, or a sharing tool where expiry is a feature of the link itself rather than of the person.
When you want the opposite: a link that just stays up
Most of the time the question is not "how do I make it expire" but "how do I make sure it does not break". For that, the pointer-not-copy model is the problem. A portfolio, a menu behind a QR code, a resume in your email signature: these should not depend on a folder you might reorganise next spring.
Link in Seconds gives a file its own address that opens in any browser with no Google account on either side. The link never expires by itself, on any plan. Pro users can add an optional expiry date or a view limit when a file genuinely should disappear, and the expiry belongs to the link, so it works for anyone who opens it rather than only for named Google users. You can also replace the file behind the link without changing the URL, which is the part Drive cannot do once a link is out in the world.
Drive is still the right place for live collaboration on a document. For handing a finished file to people outside your organisation, a Google Drive alternative built for sharing avoids the Request access wall entirely.
Quick answers
Do Google Drive links expire?
No. A Google Drive sharing link has no built-in time limit. It keeps working until the owner changes the sharing setting, deletes the file permanently, or the account that owns the file is removed. Google's help pages list none of those as automatic.
How long does a Google Drive link last?
As long as the file exists and its sharing setting stays open. Years is normal. The things that end it are all actions by the owner or their organisation: restricting access, adding an expiration date on a work account, emptying the Trash, or the account itself going away.
Can I set a Google Drive link to expire?
Only with an eligible work or school Google Workspace account, and only for people you share with by name: open Share, click the arrow next to the person's role, choose Add expiration and pick a date within one year. A free personal Gmail account does not get the option, and it does not apply to the 'Anyone with the link' setting.
Why does a Google Drive link say Request access?
Because the file is Restricted and the person opening it is not on the list, or they are signed into a different Google account than the one you shared with. That screen is the most common way a Drive link 'stops working' even though nothing expired.
Does a Google Drive link stop working if I move the file?
Moving a file within your own My Drive keeps the same link. Moving it into a shared drive or a folder with tighter permissions can change who is allowed to open it, which looks like an expired link to the recipient. Renaming does not affect the link at all.
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