Files extension
“Here Giulia and I work. The others read.”
The closed case that must never change again, or the folder only two people should write to. “Archive” makes it read-only for everyone, administrators included; “Protect” for everyone except whom you choose. With an expiry if needed, cascading to subfolders and files.
Two gestures, two promises
Archive is the immutable evidence: nobody edits, uploads or deletes, not even the administrator, until the folder is unarchived — and files open for editing are closed. Protect is the restricted site: the folder becomes read-only for everyone, except administrators and the people or groups you list. Protection takes away, it does not give — listing someone exempts them from the block, it does not grant permissions they did not have — and groups stay alive: whoever joins the group writes, whoever leaves does not. Files warns you if you are excluding yourself, and records who wrote in a protected folder and by virtue of what — list, group or administrator role — with the group name frozen as it was that day.
How it works
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Archive, to close
Right-click → Security → Archive folder (read-only), with an end date if the closure is temporary. “Folder archived: 3 files that were open have been closed”.
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Protect, to restrict
Right-click → Protect folder (only some edit): pick people and groups among those who can write today — the others are already read-only and do not appear. The summary says who will be able to edit, besides administrators.
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Lift when it is time
Unarchive or lift the protection: the folder becomes editable again by those with permissions. With an expiry set, it falls on its own.
Archive is evidence. Protect is a building site with a list at the gate.
What you can do
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Administrators included, or not
Archive stops administrators too: it is the evidence. Protect always lets them write: “to stop them too you need Archive”, the panel says.
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Expiry
“Archived until 30/06”, “Protected until 15/03”: past the date the protection lapses on its own.
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Living groups
A listed group stays up to date: whoever joins writes, whoever leaves stops. To exclude a single person, pick people instead of the group.
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The why in the log
Every write in a protected folder records where the permission came from — list, group, administrator — with the group name as it was then. Months later, the answer is still there.
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Automations stop
An automation rule on an archived folder does not fire while it stays so: Files says it in the rule itself.
Frequently asked questions
Who can lift an archiving?
Whoever has the permission on the folder, or an administrator. If you excluded yourself from a protection, only the administrator can lift it: Files tells you before saving.
How is it different from Retention?
Retention prevents deleting a file until a date, but not editing it. Archive prevents editing too, but can be unarchived. For a tax document that must neither change nor vanish, both.
Is closing a workspace the same thing?
Closing a workspace archives its folders for the members: read-only for them, while those outside the workspace work as usual. Archive, instead, stops everyone.
The other Files features
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Alex