Invitations to a shared Google Drive file or folder require a Google account to sign in to the Google Drive service. However, we can still access the Google Drive shared content by associating our existing email address with Google.
A query we ran across in our research was “Can I use Google Drive without a Gmail address?”.
How to use Google Drive without a Gmail Address Quick! Someone just shared a Google Doc with your non-Gmail email address. What do you do? Problem As Google Docs and Drive have become more and more popular for personal and business use, it’s very common to share Google Drive files with non-Gmail email addresses.
Thank you for your answer, if I understand correctly, it is mandatory to have a google account, to access the sharing of google drive, if you do not want to use “” Anyone with the link “”, but I do not understand how to link an email address other than @gmail to their google account. Can you explain it to me please?
Another common inquiry is “Can you access google drive without gmail?”.
Non-Gmail users can access Google Drive files and folders via a link sent to them. Right-click the file or folder and click Share > Get link. Then, click Restricted and select Anyone with the link.
How to Access a Shared Google Drive without Creating a Gmail Account Invitations to a shared Google Drive file or folder require a Google account to sign in to the Google Drive service. However, we can still access the Google Drive shared content by associating our existing email address with Google.
And, more importantly, you will be able to open Google Docs and Drive files sent to either email address in the same account. Note: This process doesn’t require a separate password to sign in with your non-Gmail Address. Just think of it as another name for the same Google Account.
Do I need a Gmail account to use Google products?
While Google products tend to work best when used together, you can still take advantage of these services without committing to joining the ecosystem. Even if you don’t have a Gmail account, you can still open Google Sheets or other Google Drive docs that are shared with you.
You should be asking “Do I need a Gmail account to create a new account?”
However, while you won’t need a Gmail account, you will need a Google account. The good thing about this is that you have a choice as to whether you would like to create a separate Google account or add an alternate email address to an existing one.
Can I use my existing email address with Google Drive?
That is ok. If your email is not a Gmail or G Suite domain, then you will need to associate your email address with Google for authentication. The following instructions walk through the process of authenticating your existing email address to Google Drive without creating a Gmail mailbox.