Customers to prepare for Google Drive API changes starting February 2026

Google records indicate that some of the customers own Google Drive items where the item-level access is more restricted than the parent folder. These restrictions may have been set with the Google Drive sharing dialog, an Apps Script, or an API client.

Google’s writing to inform you that Google’s removing the ability to restrict inherited access through the Google Drive API starting February 2026. This change may impact applications or Apps Script running on your customers' items.

Following the API change, existing items with restricted access will automatically be migrated to the new limited access setting without any change to the item-level access. This migration will begin in March 2026.

Google has provided additional information below to guide you through this change.

What this means for your customers

Key changes:

Last year, Google introduced a new access management feature in Google Drive. As part of this simplified experience, the Google Drive API requires the limited access setting to support:

• Deleting inherited permissions
• Updating the role to be less permissive than the inherited role

Note: When items are automatically migrated to the new limited access feature, there will be no change to who can see or access the item.

Potential impact:

• Application failures: If an application uses the Google Drive API to restrict access on your customers' items, it may fail to reduce permissions starting February 2026
• Inheritance changes: After the migration to limited access, permission changes made to parent folders will no longer affect the items with restricted access
• User interface changes: After the migration to limited access, users will see a new sharing dialog experience when sharing updated items

What you need to do

Action advised:

1. Before February 2026, customers should advise their developers to migrate to limited access. Developers should refer to the limited and expansive access documentation for comprehensive information.
   Note: Developers were already notified of this change in May 2025.
2. Before March 2026, customers should become familiar with the limited access setting and user interface.
   • The limited access feature has been available since February 2025
   • For some of your customers' users, these updated items will likely be their first experience with the limited access interface
3. After the migration, customers should audit items that were moved to limited access.
   • Drive inventory reports (where available): They can use the Export your Organization’s Drive Inventory documentation and the label ID qGQg9dSvvceLEYMNhq3K8oZiUJ5lxgcy32iAahX0PIJ6sv3mNLxb to identify the migrated items. Refer to the schema and example queries documentation for guidance.
   • Google Admin console: Customers can query Drive log events for "Inherited permissions disabled" with the "Google System" filter selected. This search will find both migrated and non-migrated items with limited access.
   • Drive search: Users can audit their files using the search operators is:limitedaccess and owner:me. This search will find both migrated and non-migrated items with limited access.

Rollout pace

• February 2026: The Google Drive API changes will take effect
• March 2026: The automatic migration to limited access will begin