Tips to share your files

Modified on Wed, 9 Jul at 4:56 PM

Tips to share your files

Share files and other content with a group

Learn how:

Share content with a group using a single address

Before you begin, create a group and add people to it.

Create a file in Google Drive, or open an existing file.
In the file, click Share.
In the Invite people field, enter the group's address.
Select the level of access you want to provide the group: Editor, Commenter, or Viewer.
Click Send.

Share documents in spaces

When working with a team, you often need to collaborate on files such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Spaces are workspaces where you can share these files and everyone can find them. And, you can edit documents directly in the space beside the chat conversation.

Share links to PDF versions of your files

Learn how:

Share your file

On your computer, go to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Vids.
Double-click or right-click the file you want to share.
Click Share .
Enter a recipient.
Click Send .

Copy, paste, and send the PDF link

In Drive, select your file.
Click Share .
Click Copy link and click Done.
After you paste the link, change the end of the URL before sending it. For example:
1. Before:
  - http://docs.google.com/document/d/<doc_id>/edit?usp=sharing
  - http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/<doc_id>/edit?usp=sharing
  - http://docs.google.com/presentation/d/<doc_id>/edit?usp=sharing
2. After:
  - http://docs.google.com/document/d/<doc_id>/export?format=pdf
  - http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/<doc_id>/export?format=pdf
  - http://docs.google.com/presentation/d/<doc_id>/export/pdf
Send the modified PDF link.
When you click the link, you (or anyone else) can download a PDF copy of your file.

Get notified if a file is shared with you

Turn on notifications for web

In Chrome Browser, open Drive.
Click Settings and select Settings.
On the left, click Notificationsand choose an option:
- To receive updates on your web browser, check the Get updates about Google Drive items in your browser box, and select the items you want to be notified about.
- To receive updates by email, check the Get all updates about Google Drive items via email box.
Click Done.

Present to Google Meet from Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides

Learn how

Join a Google Meet video meeting.
Open a file in Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
At the top, click Meet .
Choose an option:
- To present to a scheduled meeting, click the meeting name you want to join.
- To present to a meeting with a meeting code, click Use a meeting code, then enter a meeting code.
Click Just present this tab.
- Important: If you don't already have a meeting open and you click Just present this tab, you'll present your file but won't be able to view the Google Meet video meeting in the file tab. To view your document, spreadsheet, or presentation, and the Google Meet video meeting in one tab while you present, follow the steps to join a video meeting from Docs, Sheets, or Slides.
Select the tab you’re in.
To share a tab, click Share.
- Important: When you present a tab from your document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you can’t change which tab you present. To switch between tabs while you present, you can present from Google Meet instead.
Back in Meet, view your presented content directly in the meeting.

Publish files as web pages

Learn how:

Publish a file to the web

In Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, open a file.
At the top, click File Share Publish to web.
Choose a publishing option:
- Spreadsheet: Publish the entire spreadsheet or individual sheets. You can also choose a publishing format.
  - Tip: You can review "Published content & settings" anytime to check and uncheck tabs you would like users to have access to when you publish to web.
- Presentation: Choose how quickly to advance the slides.
Click Publish.
Copy the URL and send it to anyone you’d like to see the file. Or, embed it into your website.

Turn off automatic updates in Docs and Sheets

When you make changes to a published Docs or Sheets file, it will automatically publish the changes.

Open a file in Google Docs or Sheets that you’ve already published to the web.
Click File Share Publish to web.
Click Published content & settings.
Uncheck the box next to "Automatically republish when changes are made."
- To turn automatic publishing back on, check the box.

Tip: You can't turn off automatic updates in Google Slides.

Specify who can access a file

Learn how:

Prevent editors from re-sharing and changing access permissions

If you’re sharing a file, the owner and anyone with editor access can change the permissions and share the file. To prevent others from sharing your file:

Open the file in Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
Click Share or Share .
At the top, click Settings .
Uncheck Editors can change permissions and share.

Important: If you prevent sharing of a folder, it only applies to the folder. To prevent sharing the files inside, you have to change this setting for the files inside.

When someone with Editor access tries to re-share a restricted file or folder, they get an option to email you for permission to share the file. You can decide whether to share the file. If you do, the user still can’t change access permissions. They’re grayed out and not available.

Prevent commenters and viewers from downloading, printing, or copying files

Note: You can’t restrict these options on Google Sites files. Also, if you restrict these options on audio files, they can't be played.

People with edit access to your files can:

Share the file with others.
Add or remove people from the file.
Change access permissions to the file.
Copy, print, or download the file.

Important: You can't apply this setting to a folder, but you can apply it to individual files in the folder.

To prevent viewers and commenters from printing, copying, or downloading your file:

Find the file or folder in Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, or Google Slides.
Select one or more files you want to limit.
Click Share or Share .
At the top, click Settings .
Uncheck Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy.

When someone with Commenter or Viewer access tries to download, print, or copy the shared file, those options are grayed out and not available.

Important: You can limit how people share, print, download, and copy within Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, but you can't stop how others share the file content in other ways.

Transfer ownership of a file

Learn how:

Transfer ownership of a file or folder

On your computer, open Google Drive.
Find the file you want to transfer then right-click.
Click Share > click Share .
Next to the recipients name, click the Down arrow Transfer ownership.

Share a file with the public

Learn how:

You can choose if your file should be available to anyone or restricted to only the people with access. If you allow access to anyone with the link, your folder won't restrict who can access it.

Select the file you want to share.
Click Share or Share .
Under “General access”, click the Down arrow .
Choose who can access the file.

Tip: If you use your Google account for work or school, you can choose to only share files and folders with a specific audience, like your department. You might find a description of each audience when you hover over the group name.

To decide what role people will have with your file, select Viewer, Commenter, or Editor.
Click Done.

Mark a shared file as final

Learn how:

Change a file to view only

If you shared the file with specific people or a group:

In Google Drive, right-click the file and select Share .
To the right of the person or group you want to change, click the Down arrow Viewer.
Click Save.