Sharing Google Files

One of the benefits of working with a Google app is the ease of collaboration. Files created in Google apps, whether they're documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, can easily be shared with other users. In fact, most files created in Google apps can be shared using the following steps. 

You may be required to create a file as part of a team and give other team members the ability to edit it. Or maybe you've created a file that you would like others to review but not edit. Google makes it easy and convenient to collaborate and share files. 

NOTE: There is no exercise file for this section. Please open any Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file to follow the steps. 

Sharing a Google file via email

One way of sharing a Google file is to email a link to other users. Let's see how to do this. 

The Share with people and groups dialog box opens:

Using this dialog box, we can enter the names or email addresses of the people and groups we want to have access to the file or we can get a link to the file. 

When a name is added, the dialog box changes and shows more options:

We can see that the person added to this file has been assigned Editor rights. 

Google provides additional options for allowing other users to work with your file: Editor, Commenter, and Viewer. 

• Editor: can make changes, accept or reject suggestions, and share the file with others
• Commenter: can make comments and suggestions, but can't change or share the file
• Viewer: can view, but can't change or share the file

Once everyone has been added and the correct permission level has been chosen, there is an option for notifying the included people. If this option is selected, there is also a place to write a message to be sent with the invitation to share. 

When everything is set correctly, this invitation can be sent to the included people by clicking the Send button. The included users will receive an email letting them know that they have been asked to work with the file.

Sharing a Google file using a link

There may be occasions when sending a link to specific people isn't feasible. Maybe the names and email addresses are unknown, or there are too many people to enter individual addresses, or the link needs to be publicly available to anyone who needs it. In these cases, and others, it is possible to give users access to the file by using a link. 

As with sharing via email, this process starts by opening the Share with people and groups dialog box.

The Share with people and groups dialog box opens:

Using this dialog box, we can get a link to this file that we can then share with other users. We can also set permissions for what we will allow other users to do with the file. 

The dialog box adjusts to display the Get link options:

There is a unique link that will take users directly to this file. By default, access to this file is restricted to only people who have been added to the file. This can be changed.

The dialog box changes again: 

The link is still available, but now anyone with the link has Viewer permission for the file.

When sharing a file using a link, the same permission options are available: Editor, Commenter, and Viewer. 

The copied link can now be pasted into an email, a document, or anywhere else users might find it. The link will take them directly to the file with the appropriate permissions.