Keeping you safe online means protecting your information and respecting your privacy. That’s why, in every product we make, we focus on keeping your information secure, treating it responsibly, and keeping you in control. Our teams work every day to make Google products safe no matter what you’re doing—browsing the web, managing your inbox, or getting directions.
Your information is protected by world-class security. You can always control your privacy settings in your Google Account.
- For general information about privacy on Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides, keep reading this article.
- For more about privacy tools, visit the Google Safety Center.
- For details about privacy in work and school accounts, use the Google Workspace Security Resources.
A more helpful & personalized experience for you
When you use Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides, we process some data to offer you better experiences in the product. Your information stays secure. You can always control your privacy settings in your Google Account.
Your content is stored securely
When you create a file on Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides and share it, it is stored securely in our world-class data centers. Data is encrypted in-transit and at-rest. If you choose to access these files offline, we store this info on your device.
Your Google Account comes with built-in security designed to detect and block threats like spam, phishing and malware. Your activity is stored using strong industry standards and practices.
Your name & email address help sync your data and keep you updated
To store your preferences, help you sign in, get you files you've uploaded through other devices, and inform you of service changes and user-to-user activity, we save your email address. In Google Slides, to show when you present, we also save your name.
Use your information to create & manage your Google Account
To create a brand new Google account, we collect your name and phone number. When you manage your Google account, you can choose to provide your physical address, upload your contacts, or add a profile photo.
Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides uses data to improve your experience
To provide services like spam filtering, virus detection, malware protection and the ability to search for files within your individual account, we process your content.
To improve Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides’ performance and reliability, and to help with troubleshooting in case of issues while you use Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides, we collect performance data and crash analytics. We also save this info to help prevent abuse of our services and for analysis.
Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides doesn’t use your content for advertising
We don’t use information in apps where you primarily store personal content—including Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides—for advertising purposes, period.
Stay in control of your content with easy-to-use settings
You decide what content is shared & with whom
The content you save on Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides is private to you, from others, unless you choose to share it. .
Google respects your privacy. We access your private contentonly when we have your permission or are required to by law. With the Google Transparency Report, we share data about how the policies and actions of governments and corporations affect privacy, security, and access to information.
If you have a work or school account, your organization can review logs of actions taken by Google when accessing content. Learn how to view logs with Access Transparency. Learn how Google protects your organization's security and privacy.
It’s easy to view & control your data
With the Google Account Dashboard, you can see an overview of the Google products you use and the things you store, like your emails and photos. And with My Activity, it’s easy to see or delete data collected from your activity across Google services, including things you’ve searched, viewed, and watched. Learn how to view and control activity in your Google Account.
Control your search history
To save you time when you search in Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides by showing you recent searches you’ve made there, we store those search queries.
To review or manage your Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides search history, use My Activity.
Sync your services with your location
To understand how your experience of the product may relate to geography, like when you send feedback to Google, and to keep your account secure, like if we notice you have signed in from a new location, we save some location info.
You can take your data with you
Everyone should have access to the content they’ve shared with us – any time and for any reason. That’s why we created Download Your Data – so you can download your documents, spreadsheets and slides. It’s your choice to make a copy of your data, back it up, or even move it to another service.
You are always in control of the data saved to your Google Account. Learn how to download your data.
If you have a work or school account, your organization can choose to download your data and to limit you from downloading it. Learn how an organization can export its data.
Related articles
All accounts
- Is Google Drive secure?
- Google Drive Terms of Service
- Google's Privacy Policy
Work or school accounts
- View logs of Google access to user content with Access Transparency
- View Drive DLP Data protection insights reports
I'm an expert in online privacy and security, with a deep understanding of the measures companies take to protect user information. My expertise extends to the concepts mentioned in the article about Google's commitment to keeping users safe online and respecting their privacy.
The article emphasizes Google's focus on security, responsible data handling, and user control. Let's break down the key concepts mentioned:
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Information Security:
- Google ensures world-class security for user information.
- Users can control their privacy settings in their Google Account.
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Data Processing for Personalized Experiences:
- Google processes some data in Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides to offer better user experiences.
- User information remains secure, and privacy settings can be controlled.
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Secure Storage of Content:
- Files created and shared on Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides are stored securely in data centers.
- Data is encrypted both in-transit and at-rest.
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Account Security and Threat Detection:
- Google Account comes with built-in security to detect and block threats like spam, phishing, and malware.
- User activity is stored using industry standards and practices.
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Use of Name and Email Address:
- User name and email address are used for preferences, sign-in, file access, and notifications.
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Creation and Management of Google Account:
- Information collected for creating a new Google account includes name and phone number.
- Users can choose to provide additional information like physical address, contacts, or a profile photo.
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Data Processing for Service Improvement:
- Data is processed for services such as spam filtering, virus detection, and malware protection.
- Performance data and crash analytics are collected to enhance reliability and troubleshoot issues.
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No Use of Content for Advertising:
- Personal content stored in Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides is not used for advertising purposes.
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User Control and Privacy Settings:
- Users decide what content is shared and with whom.
- Google respects privacy and accesses private content only with user permission or when required by law.
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Transparency and Accountability:
- Google provides a Transparency Report, sharing data on how government and corporate actions impact privacy, security, and information access.
- Organizations with work or school accounts can review logs of actions taken by Google and learn about privacy protection.
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Data Viewing and Control:
- Google Account Dashboard provides an overview of products used and stored data.
- My Activity allows users to view and delete data collected across Google services.
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Search History and Location Info:
- Google stores search queries in Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides for user convenience.
- Location info is saved to enhance the user experience and account security.
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Data Portability:
- Users can download their data anytime using "Download Your Data" to have access to their documents, spreadsheets, and slides.
- Organizations can choose to download data and limit user downloads for work or school accounts.
This comprehensive approach demonstrates Google's commitment to user privacy, security, and transparency in handling personal information.
