Google Drive Troubleshooting

3. Unrecognized Users in a Shared File

When looking at the list of people that a file is shared with, you might encounter unrecognized or anonymous users. This may have various reasons.

• Maybe you shared the file with someone who doesn’t have a Google account, and in turn they might have shared the email invitation with someone else.
• Someone who has editing and sharing permissions may have shared the document with their own contacts, or someone may have even changed the name associated with their Google Account.
• The issue may occur if the file was originally shared via a link, and then changed to individual people. In those cases, it may take some time for the existing sessions to time-out and for the shared list to be updated. Ultimately, however, the problem should rectify itself.