SHARING GOOGLE DOCS
Edit, View, and Comment Privileges
You can share your docs with just the people you want, and you can specify exactly what level of access (edit, view, or comment) each person has for each document.
When you create a new doc, you are automatically the owner and the document is only available to you.
You can choose to explicitly share it with individuals or groups in one of three types of roles with sharing privileges:
Owners
When you create a new doc, you are automatically the owner and the document is only available to you.
You can choose to explicitly share it with individuals or groups in one of three types of roles with sharing privileges:
Owners
- Can edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings, and invite more editors and viewers.
- Can delete documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings, and thereby remove access for editors and viewers. Please note: To fully delete a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or drawing, and remove access to it, you need to delete it and then Empty Trash.
- Can edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings.
- Can invite or delete other editors and viewers (if the owner has given them permission).
- Can export a copy of the document, spreadsheet, presentation, or drawing to their local hard drive.
- Can view the list of editors.
- Can make a copy of a doc, and copy the list of doc's editors.
- Can see the most recent version of a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or drawing but can't make any changes.
- Can export a copy of the document, spreadsheet, presentation, or drawing to their local hard drive.
- Can not view the list of editors.
- Can make a copy a doc, but can't copy the list of doc's editors.
- Same features as above, but can add comments to the document.
Visibility Settings
In addition to explicitly sharing your document with individuals or groups, you can choose to make your document more widely accessible via links or search. These visibility settings are detailed in the video and text below:
Visibility options: Private, Anyone with the link, and Public on the web
There are up to 5 different visibility options: private; people at @ci.k12.mn.us with a link, people at @ci.k12.mn.us can find and access, anyone with the link; and public on the web. And you can see how your doc is set by looking at the icon right next to its title.
Private
When you create a private doc, you are the only person with access to it. And from there, you can grant access to other people. Anyone trying to access the document will have to sign in to their Google Account to verify that they have access to the doc.
People at Crosby-Ironton School District with the link
Docs set to this option are accessible to anyone inside the domain who knows the URL of the file. If you also select the ‘Allow anyone to edit’ option, anyone with the URL will be able to view and edit your file. This option allows you to easily copy and paste the file’s link into chat, email and calendar invites for quick access and feedback.
Crosby-Ironton School District
Docs set to this option will be indexed by Google Docs search and may be opened by anyone in the CI domain at @ci.k12.mn.us. You will also be able to make a file Public on the web or available to Anyone with the link (no sign in required).
Anyone with the link
Anyone who knows the web address of a doc in this category can view it. If you also select the 'Allow anyone to edit' option, anyone with the URL will also be able to view and edit your document. Sign-in is not required, so viewers and editors may show up as anonymous.
Public on the web
Set a doc to public if you want to make it publicly available to anyone. Public docs may get indexed by search engines (like Google Web Search), can show up in search results, and anyone who finds the web address of the doc can access it. If you also select the 'Allow anyone to edit' option, anyone that finds the document will also be able to view and edit your document.
Public on the web is a great setting if you're trying to get the word out about something.
Sharing limitations
You can explicitly share a doc or file with 200 viewers and editors (combined), or you can make your doc available to anyone by changing its visibility option.
50 may edit and view a spreadsheet, document, or drawing. 10 people may edit and view a presentation.
Visibility options: Private, Anyone with the link, and Public on the web
There are up to 5 different visibility options: private; people at @ci.k12.mn.us with a link, people at @ci.k12.mn.us can find and access, anyone with the link; and public on the web. And you can see how your doc is set by looking at the icon right next to its title.
Private
When you create a private doc, you are the only person with access to it. And from there, you can grant access to other people. Anyone trying to access the document will have to sign in to their Google Account to verify that they have access to the doc.
People at Crosby-Ironton School District with the link
Docs set to this option are accessible to anyone inside the domain who knows the URL of the file. If you also select the ‘Allow anyone to edit’ option, anyone with the URL will be able to view and edit your file. This option allows you to easily copy and paste the file’s link into chat, email and calendar invites for quick access and feedback.
Crosby-Ironton School District
Docs set to this option will be indexed by Google Docs search and may be opened by anyone in the CI domain at @ci.k12.mn.us. You will also be able to make a file Public on the web or available to Anyone with the link (no sign in required).
Anyone with the link
Anyone who knows the web address of a doc in this category can view it. If you also select the 'Allow anyone to edit' option, anyone with the URL will also be able to view and edit your document. Sign-in is not required, so viewers and editors may show up as anonymous.
Public on the web
Set a doc to public if you want to make it publicly available to anyone. Public docs may get indexed by search engines (like Google Web Search), can show up in search results, and anyone who finds the web address of the doc can access it. If you also select the 'Allow anyone to edit' option, anyone that finds the document will also be able to view and edit your document.
Public on the web is a great setting if you're trying to get the word out about something.
Sharing limitations
You can explicitly share a doc or file with 200 viewers and editors (combined), or you can make your doc available to anyone by changing its visibility option.
50 may edit and view a spreadsheet, document, or drawing. 10 people may edit and view a presentation.
See Who Has Access
You can check to see who has edit or view access to your document at any time, simply click the Share button in the top right corner of the doc.
Here you will see a full list of all the individuals or groups who have access to the document as well as their access level.
Here you will see a full list of all the individuals or groups who have access to the document as well as their access level.
Change Sharing Access Levels
The owner of a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or drawing can always control exactly who has access to their file and how much access each person has. By default, those that you invite to edit the document may also add additional collaborators and set sharing access levels.
If you leave the setting for editors to invite others and make changes, you may have more people accessing your document than you intended. If you wish to have full control over who can access the document and exactly how they access it (with editing or viewing rights), you would want to change the setting for invited editors.
To change the sharing access level of any individual or collaborator, follow these steps:
If you leave the setting for editors to invite others and make changes, you may have more people accessing your document than you intended. If you wish to have full control over who can access the document and exactly how they access it (with editing or viewing rights), you would want to change the setting for invited editors.
To change the sharing access level of any individual or collaborator, follow these steps:
- Click on the Share button in the top right corner your document.
- In the window that appears you will see a list of individuals and groups who have sharing access.
- To change sharing access for an individual or group, click the drop down menu to the right of the individual or group name and select the new sharing access level.
The sharing access level change is effective immediately.
To change the setting so editors cannot invite others or change permissions, follow these steps:
To change the setting so editors cannot invite others or change permissions, follow these steps:
- Click on the Share button in the top right corner of your document.
- In the window that appears, click the Change link at the bottom, adjacent to the sentence Editors will be allowed to add people and change permissions.
- Select the setting: Only the owner can change the permissions.
Transfer Document Ownership
By default, you are the owner of every doc you create. However, you can transfer ownership to anyone you'd like, as long as that person has an Apps mail address. If your domain administrator allows sharing outside the domain, you can let anyone with an email address become owner of your documents.
Being the owner of a doc gives you a lot of control over the doc, and once you change owners, you give up those controls -- so make the decision to change owners carefully. Consider the following:
To change ownership of a document, follow these steps:
1. Open the doc that you don't want to own anymore.
2. Click Share in the top-right corner.
- Type the email address of the new owner.
- Click Share.
3. Click the drop-down to the right of the new owner's name; choose 'Is owner."
4. Click Save changes.
After you switch owners, you'll have access to the doc as an editor (but the new owner can take it away!).
Being the owner of a doc gives you a lot of control over the doc, and once you change owners, you give up those controls -- so make the decision to change owners carefully. Consider the following:
- The owner is the only person who can delete a doc. Once a doc is deleted, no one can access it, including those it was shared with.
- When a user's account is deleted, all of that person's docs are deleted. Once docs are deleted, no one can access them, including those they were shared with.
- The owner is the only person who can always control how much access other users have to the doc. They can remove editors and viewers, they can share with as many people as they like, they can change the visibility option, and they can limit or activate the ability for editors to share the doc with other users.
To change ownership of a document, follow these steps:
1. Open the doc that you don't want to own anymore.
2. Click Share in the top-right corner.
- If the new owner already has access to the doc, skip to Step 3.
- If the new owner does not already have access to the doc, follow these steps before moving on to step 3:
- Type the email address of the new owner.
- Click Share.
3. Click the drop-down to the right of the new owner's name; choose 'Is owner."
4. Click Save changes.
After you switch owners, you'll have access to the doc as an editor (but the new owner can take it away!).