Share and Collaborate with Google Docs, Sheets,...

Freelancers and businesses share google docs among the project contributors for easy collaboration. How can you make hassle-free sharing of google docs, sheets..? How could you have control over shared Google docs? Let me give you a detailed answer to these questions in this article.

The procedure for sharing google docs, sheets, slides, and forms are the same. Throughout this article, I am using the screenshots of google docs for explanation purposes. You can use these instructions for sharing google sheets, slides, etc.

What is the Purpose of Sharing Google Docs?

With shared google docs, you can share your document among your team members with specific permission for viewing, editing, and commenting. 

The ability to restrict the users' permission on shared google docs enables the admin (owner of the document) to have complete control over the document and production process.

  

A user with viewing permission can only view the document, the user with commenting permission can only view and write comments, and the user with editing permission gets the complete control to edit and review the file.

The owner of the document can change the permission of a shared google doc at any phase of the project. This feature helps in getting smooth collaboration.

How Do You Share Google Docs?

Follow the below steps to share a google doc:

1. Open the doc that you want to share,
2. Click the share button at the top-right corner,
3. Add email ids of the recipients in the column to add people and groups,
4. Click the editor tab at the right side of the email ids tab and select the appropriate permission (viewer, commenter, or editor),

5. Write your message, if any,
6. Click the send button to send a notification to the recipients, or
7. Copy the link to share the file only with the allowed users. You can send the link to the intended recipients. 

Using this method, you can share google docs with a view, comment, and edit permission. 

Share with People Settings

The settings button in the share pop-up gives more control over the collaboration of the document. 

8. Click the settings button on the share pop-up,
9. While sharing the doc, the owner can check or uncheck the options on the pop-up, to allow or not allow the editors to change permission and share,
10. Moreover, you can set the limitation of the viewer and commenter to see/or not to see the options to download, print, and copy.

How to Give Permission to Edit Google docs?

So now, you have already shared a google doc with your team (say with a viewer setting). How would you edit the permission so that a viewer can edit the document?

As mentioned earlier, you can change the permission at any point in time. To do so, open the document, click the share button, select the email id of the user to whom you want to change permission, edit the restriction from 'viewer' to 'commentator/editor.' 

In the same way, you can change the permission as necessary and collaborate with your team.

How to Share Google Docs with non-Gmail Users?

You can share the link of a google doc with the setting to allow anyone on the internet with the link can view the file. 

The following steps will help you to get the sharable link:

11. Open the Google doc and click the share button to open the pop-up where you can change the setting. 
12. Choose 'anyone with the link' as highlighted. Now, you can allow anyone on the internet with the link to view the file. 
13. Click 'copy link' and share it with non-Gmail users. 

The Limitation

A non-google account user can only view the document that you share via google docs link; however, the user can not write a comment or edit the file.

Conclusion

The sharing option in google docs, sheets, slides, and forms contributes to effective collaboration among team members. You can edit the permission of the contributors at any phase of the project. 

Non-Gmail users can access the google doc using the link shared by the owner of the document. However, a user can not comment or edit google docs without a google account. 

You can retrieve the auto-saved previous version of a google doc at any time using version/revision history. This feature is of great help to finalize the files when you collaborate as a team. I have explained how to retrieve the previous version and review the files in the article 'Revision History of Google Docs.'