Sharing And Protecting Your Google Sheet

Sharing and protecting your file starts with clicking the green Share button or using the File option in the menu bar, then choosing Share.

Using the Share button

From the sharing menu, you have two main options. Firstly, you can invite other users or, secondly, create a link to share your spreadsheet.

Video Tutorial

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Share with People and Groups

To share with specific people or groups, enter their email addresses or group names in the Share with people and groups box.

Area in which to enter email address or group name for shraing
Area for Entering Email or Group Name

Leave the checkmark in Notify people if you want to notify the other user(s) about the file-sharing. As a result, they will receive an email from Google telling them you shared the file and providing the link.

Option for Notification

There are three levels of access that you can grant –Viewer, Commenter, and Editor. A viewer only has permission to see the spreadsheet but not comment or edit. A commenter can enter comments but not modify the content. Lastly, an editor can comment and edit including changing values and formulas.

Three levels of sharing configurations
Choose the Permission Level

All three sharing levels are available for people and groups.

ViewerCommenterEditor
People
Groups
Different Methods of Sharing

Sharing with a link creates a URL that leads directly to the file.

Option to configure and copy the link
Link Options

In addition, you can change the link’s functionality using the Change option shown in the lower left of the image above. Furthermore, three link-sharing options are available to business users and two on personal accounts.

Three options for sharing links
Three Options for Sharing Links

After choosing the sharing option, you can select the permissions.

Different sharing permission levels
Link Sharing Permission Levels

Restricted

The first option is Restricted. When you choose Restricted, only people and groups added through the Share with people and groups option discussed above can access the sheet. Accordingly, if you give a restricted link to someone else, they cannot access the file. You can control the permission levels for a restricted user in the Share with people and groups area.

Organization

Second is the option of intercompany sharing. As shown in the image above, the choice of ALS Properties, LLC would your company’s name if you have a business account through Google Workspace. This option would allow anyone at your company access the file.

Thirdly, the Anyone with the link option will allow anonymous users to access the spreadsheet. Use this option carefully, especially if you set the permission level to Editor.

Viewer Commenter Editor
Restricted n/a n/a n/a
Inter-Organization
Anyone with the link
Different Methods of Link Sharing

Working with Your Data

Now that you have shared your spreadsheet, this video will help you learn how to manage and protect your spreadsheet if you work with multiple sheets in one file.

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