A Google Drive shortcut can be visible even when you cannot open the file it references. The shortcut and its target have separate roles: the first helps you navigate, while the target’s sharing settings determine whether its contents are available.
Identify the target problem
Open the shortcut while using the Google Account that should have permission. Check whether Drive asks for access or reports that the target is unavailable. If possible, compare the target link with a previously working link supplied by the owner.
Google lists missing permission, a target in Trash, and a deleted target as reasons for a broken shortcut. Creating another shortcut to the same target does not change any of these conditions.
Ask the right person for access
If Drive offers Request access, verify the signed-in identity before sending the request. The owner receives that account’s name and address, so requesting from a personal account instead of the authorized work account can delay the repair.
Ask the owner to inspect the original, not just the folder containing the shortcut. For organizational content, a shared-drive manager or administrator may need to check restrictions. Do not ask someone to enable public link access simply to make the shortcut work.
Repair navigation after access is resolved
If the original was replaced with a genuinely new file, obtain the new authorized link and update your navigation accordingly. If the old original still exists, restore appropriate access rather than making more copies. Once the correct target opens, check the shortcut again. Removing an obsolete shortcut does not recover the target, and removing the target can affect every shortcut that points to it. Keep these actions separate when cleaning up a project.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.