Suppose the sales and workshop teams both need the same current price list. Making another copy creates a second document that can drift from the original. A Google Drive shortcut can place a route to the one working file in both folders without creating another price list to maintain.

Choose the intended outcome first. If both teams should see the same ongoing changes, a shortcut is usually the relevant organising tool. If you need a separately retained historical version, a shortcut does not supply that independent record.

Check the target and its audience

A Drive shortcut points to the original file or folder. Creating it does not automatically give people permission to open that original. Someone can therefore see the shortcut in a project folder and still receive an access request when opening it.

Before adding the shortcut to a shared location, check the original file’s owner and sharing settings. Also consider its name: shortcut titles are visible to people with access to the containing folder or drive, even when they cannot open the target. Use a location and title appropriate for that audience.

Test the working arrangement

Use Drive’s Organise and Add shortcut controls for the chosen original, then select the intended destination. Open the shortcut yourself to confirm the target. Ask an authorised person from the other team to test it using their normal account, rather than relying on your owner access.

If the shortcut later breaks, investigate the original. Missing permission, an original in the bin or a deleted original are different problems. Repeatedly making new shortcuts will not restore the target or its access.

When tidying folders, distinguish the shortcut from the original before deleting anything. Removing a shortcut is an organising change; removing the actual document affects the shared working material. Keep a brief note of the authoritative file location so a future handover does not recreate conflicting copies.

References: Google Drive shortcuts.