First check which account your accountant is using
Being able to open an invoice stored as a PDF on Google Drive does not mean your accountant can open it too. Sharing may be restricted to a specific address. Find out which email address should have access and compare it with the account your accountant uses to open the link.
For example, you send the document to their work address, but they open it in a browser signed in to a personal account. Ask them to check the signed-in address in the Google account menu. If they are using another account and have the intended account available, they can switch and reopen the link. If the addresses match but access is still denied, check sharing next.
If your accountant already has the PDF but cannot read it or needs a password, use the guide below to resolve opening the file. Checking Drive sharing will not resolve that problem.
The invoice arrived, but the PDF will not open. What should you send your accountant? →
Source for this section: Google: share files from Google Drive · Google: troubleshoot file access
Who can check sharing for this invoice?
Contact the file owner or someone authorised to manage sharing. That might be the supplier, a colleague or you. If you only forwarded someone else's link, you may not have permission to change access.
Ask that person to open sharing settings for the specific invoice and check your accountant's address and the permission needed. Include the exact link: checking another invoice or the whole folder may not explain this file's access problem. Folder or shared-drive access may also matter; leave that assessment to someone authorised to manage it.
If an option to request access appears, your accountant can use it. You can also contact the owner directly and explain who needs which document. Sending a request does not mean access has been approved. Agree with the owner who will report the outcome.
Do not open up the entire parent folder or make the link public as a quick fix. Address access to the required PDF and ask an authorised person to check the scope of sharing.
Source for this section: Google: share files from Google Drive · Google: troubleshoot file access · Google: restrict sharing, downloading, printing and copying
Choose the next step according to where the handoff stopped
Start with the first row. Once the account matches, distinguish missing permission from company restrictions and from being able to view the invoice but needing a copy.
| What you find | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Your accountant opens the link with a different account from the intended one. | Open it with the intended account if available. Otherwise tell the owner the correct address and ask them to assess access. |
| The account matches but the specific PDF is still unavailable. | Use the access-request option if offered, or contact the owner or sharing manager with the link and recipient address. |
| The owner finds that company rules block sharing outside the organisation. | Ask the responsible administrator for an approved handoff method. Do not replace the blocked link with a copy without checking that sending it is allowed. |
| Your accountant does not have a Google account. | Ask the owner about visitor access. An organisation can enable it for PDFs; if it does not, agree an approved alternative. |
| The PDF can be viewed but the required copy cannot be downloaded. | Check with the owner whether downloading or supplying a copy is allowed. If so, arrange delivery; otherwise discuss the next step with the owner or administrator. |
| Your accountant can use the document as agreed with authorised access. | Confirm which document they received. If the handoff is still incomplete, describe the remaining problem to someone who can resolve it. |
Source for this section: Google: share files from Google Drive · Google: troubleshoot file access · Google Workspace: manage external sharing for your organisation · Google: share documents with visitors · Google: restrict sharing, downloading, printing and copying
When company rules prevent access
For work accounts, the organisation may restrict external sharing or allow only selected domains. The owner's willingness is then not enough. Ask them to check with the responsible administrator how the document can be passed to your accountant.
Switching to a personal account or emailing a copy is not automatically an approved solution. What matters is whether the organisation permits that method. If it does not, work with the administrator rather than trying to get around the restriction.
An accountant without a Google account does not always need to create Gmail. If the organisation enables visitor sharing, PDFs can also be shared this way and the recipient verifies their email address. Ask the owner whether this is available for the file. If not, request another approved route.
Source for this section: Google Workspace: manage external sharing for your organisation · Google: share documents with visitors
Viewing an invoice and downloading a copy are different needs
Before treating access as resolved, clarify whether your accountant needs to view the invoice on Drive or obtain a PDF copy. Viewing does not guarantee downloading. The owner or organisation can restrict downloads.
If a copy is needed and downloading is unavailable, ask the owner to check whether they may provide it. If allowed, an authorised person can arrange an approved handoff. If they cannot provide a copy, take the accountant's specific request back to the owner or administrator; do not bypass the download restriction.
Source for this section: Google: restrict sharing, downloading, printing and copying · Google Workspace: manage external sharing for your organisation
A message that gives the owner the information they need
Include the link, document name, intended address and what the recipient actually sees. If the signed-in account has not been checked, say so rather than guessing. This template assumes your accountant also needs a PDF copy.
Replace the bracketed fields with your details. If your accountant only needs to view the file, adjust the copy request. Send the message to the owner or authorised sharing manager.
Source for this section: Google: share files from Google Drive · Google: troubleshoot file access · Google: restrict sharing, downloading, printing and copying · Google Workspace: manage external sharing for your organisation
Confirm the handoff against what your accountant needed
After access is changed, ask your accountant to reopen the specific link with the intended account. If you agreed on an allowed PDF copy, ask them to confirm receipt and readability. Opening the link yourself does not replace this check with the recipient.
If the handoff is still stuck, tell the owner what remains unresolved: the file is unavailable even with the right account, the organisation does not allow sharing, or your accountant needs a copy that cannot be provided. This gives the owner a basis for the next step without repeatedly forwarding the same link.
Source for this section: Google: share files from Google Drive · Google: restrict sharing, downloading, printing and copying · Google Workspace: manage external sharing for your organisation