# Open a shared item

Download a file a colleague has shared with you, and what to expect when you select a shared folder.

A shared file comes to you as a download. A shared folder behaves differently, and it's worth knowing how before you rely on one.

## Download a shared file

- Go to **Shared with Me** and find the file under the name of the colleague who shared it.
- Select the file's row, or the download arrow at its right-hand end.

  ![The group headed Shared by Graham Whitfield in Shared with Me, holding Workshop Capacity Plan - Q4 2026.xlsx dated Sep 4, 2026, an Engineering KPIs folder dated Sep 2, 2026, and Workshop Apprenticeship Plan.docx dated Jun 15, 2026.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/nest/shared-with-me/shared-one-group.png)

The file saves to wherever your browser keeps downloads, and moves to the top of your **Recent Files**.

> **Tip:**
>
> There's no way to change a shared file from here, whatever its tag says. If you've been asked to work on it, download it, make your changes, and send the new version back to its owner.

## Open a shared folder

Selecting a shared folder opens it under **My Folders**. It shows its contents only if you could already open that folder another way, for example as a member of the team folder it belongs to. Otherwise it opens as an empty folder, even when it isn't one.

> **Warning:**
>
> **An empty shared folder may not be empty**
>
> If a shared folder shows nothing, ask the colleague who shared it to share the files inside it individually, or to add you to the team folder it sits in. **A shared item does not open** shows what it looks like.