Google Sheets – Simplify File Sharing and Collaboration

Have you ever struggled to share files with your colleagues or collaborate in real time on a document? Don’t worry, with Google Sheets and Google Drive, it’s all made easy!

Sharing and Collaborating on Files

Google Drive allows you to easily share your files and collaborate in real time with others. Watch the video below to learn more about these features.

Sharing Files

When you share a file from your Google Drive, you can grant others permission to view and even edit the file. However, it’s important to note that you can only use collaboration features for files created within your Drive.

Let’s take the example of Olenna, an art teacher who uses her Google Drive to organize her letters, lesson plans, and more. Olenna’s files include:

• Private files, like her spreadsheet with class expenses.
• Files she allows others to edit, like lesson planning documents she creates with her colleague.
• Files she shares publicly but doesn’t allow others to edit, like newsletters and announcements she shares with her students and their parents.
• Files shared with her by others, including those she can modify, like her colleague’s supply inventory, and those she can’t modify, like a schedule sent by the principal.

As you can see, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all sharing setting for all of Olenna’s files. The settings you choose for each of your shared files will likely depend on the reason you’re sharing them in the first place.

When you share a file with a restricted group of people, your collaborators will need to sign in with a Google account to view or edit the file. However, when you share with a larger group or make the file public, your collaborators won’t need a Google account to access it.

Sharing a File with a Restricted Group of People:

1. Select the file you want to share, then click the “Share” button.
2. A dialog box will appear. In the “People” section, enter the email addresses of the people you want to share the file with. You can also add a message to be sent to the recipients.
3. Click “Send”. Your file will be shared.

For more control over your files, you can click the dropdown arrow to decide whether people can edit, comment, or only view the file.

Sharing with a Link

You can easily share a file with a larger group by providing a link to any file in your Google Drive. A link is essentially a URL or web address for the file you want to share. This can be particularly useful for files that would be too large to send as email attachments, such as music or video files. You can also share a file by posting the link on a public web page. Anyone clicking the link will be redirected to the file.

To share a link:

1. Select the file you want to share, then click the “Share” button.
2. A dialog box will appear. Click “Get link to share”.
3. A link to the file will be copied to your clipboard. You can then paste the link in an email or on the web to share the file. Once done, click “Done”.

Files Shared with You

Other people can also choose to share files with you. These files will appear in your “Shared with me” folder. However, if you prefer to access a file from your Google Drive without going through this view, you can move it. To do this, go to your “Shared with me” folder, hover over the desired file, and select “Add to My Drive”.

Collaboration Tools

When you share a file in Google Drive format, you have the option to allow your co-editors to make changes and edit the file. Google Drive offers several tools that facilitate collaboration by allowing you to communicate more easily with your co-editors and see what changes have been made and by whom.

Suggesting Mode

Google Drive also has a feature called “Suggesting Mode,” similar to Microsoft Office’s “Track Changes” feature. This allows each collaborator to make changes while giving other collaborators the opportunity to review them before making them final. This page provides more information on how to make suggested changes and accept or reject changes made by others.

Challenge!

1. Open our example file. Make sure you’re signed in to Google, then click “File” > “Make a copy”.
2. Switch to suggesting mode.
3. Select the first three lines of the letter and center them.
4. Select the name “Melissa Vaughn” and add a comment that says “Check the spelling”.
5. Once done, your document should look like this.
6. Optional: Try sharing your document with someone.

Now you’re ready to easily share and collaborate on your files with Google Sheets and Google Drive! Feel free to visit Crawlan.com to learn more about the latest features of Google Sheets and other online marketing tips.