Is this is a bug? Students "make a copy" on Google Drive and end up in the same copy.

[fmdownie2]

This is a very odd situation that I have encountered multiple times over the last 18 months. I teach high school and often create a template file which students need to complete. I have the template saved in a Google Drive belonging to my organisation. In a Doc or Sheet, this is simple - each student clicks "make a copy", and gets their own copy of the file to edit. However, in a Diagram, when a class of students all select "make a copy", they all get taken to the SAME copy of the file which they can ALL edit simultaneously. I can't work out why this happens and I haven't found anyone else experiencing the same thing. I've searched online but only get results telling me how to share a file for multiple collaborators.

I tried in my last class to instead Publish the template and share the link. I tested it with a colleague, and it worked. When my students tried, they were told they didn't have permission to access the file - though I had updated the permissions on the file, allowing anyone in the organisation to access it.

Has anyone else had this issue? Is it something I'm doing wrong? Is it a bug? Most importantly, is there a better way??

So far my only workaround is to give students edit access to my original file so they can select the template and copy/paste it into a new file.

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The bot asked the following questions:
1. Are students clicking 'make a copy' from within the draw.io interface while viewing your template, or from Google Drive's file menu?
2. When you say they end up in the 'same copy', do you mean they're all editing one shared copy, or are they seeing each other's individual copies somehow merged?
3. Have you tried creating the template with different sharing permissions initially (e.g., view-only vs edit access) before students make copies?
4. Does this happen consistently with all diagram files, or only specific templates?
5. Are you using Google Workspace for Education with any special administrative settings that might affect file copying behavior?

Answers:

1. We are all using the web interface for Diagrams and students "make a copy" from the draw.io interface. I'm using Chrome with Windows 11, students are using a range of browsers and devices, and ALL have the exact same experience.
2. I don't know; I can't see where the file location from within Diagrams to check.
3. I have not tried giving students edit access before sharing the template - ideally I want to avoid ever giving them edit access.
4. All diagram files that we have used. Note that when I say "template", I'm referring to a blank file that I have added some symbols to, as a starting point for the activity, not one of the diagram templates provided.
5. I don't believe so; copying files works fine with all other apps, to the best of my knowledge.

[draw-io-triage-bot[bot]]

👋 Thank you for opening this issue!

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Summary: A teacher is experiencing an issue where students making copies of draw.io diagram templates in Google Drive all end up editing the same shared copy instead of individual copies, and is seeking a solution or workaround.

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📝 Additional Information Needed

To help us investigate this more effectively, could you please provide:

• environment: Browser type and version, operating system, and whether using draw.io web app or desktop version
• google_drive_integration: Specific steps taken when clicking 'make a copy' - whether done from Google Drive interface or from within draw.io
• file_sharing_settings: Exact sharing permissions set on the original template file in Google Drive
• reproduction_steps: Detailed step-by-step process to reproduce the issue, including screenshots if possible

We also have some questions:

• Are students clicking 'make a copy' from within the draw.io interface while viewing your template, or from Google Drive's file menu?
• When you say they end up in the 'same copy', do you mean they're all editing one shared copy, or are they seeing each other's individual copies somehow merged?
• Have you tried creating the template with different sharing permissions initially (e.g., view-only vs edit access) before students make copies?
• Does this happen consistently with all diagram files, or only specific templates?
• Are you using Google Workspace for Education with any special administrative settings that might affect file copying behavior?

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_{🤖 This is an automated response to help with initial triage. A human maintainer will review this issue. If you've provided all the requested information, no further action is needed - we'll get back to you soon!}

[davidjgraph]

Try with 29.6.1