Manager view only
Share the budget as Viewer so leadership sees numbers without editing formulas on the Summary tab.
How do you share a Google Sheets file?
Sharing controls who can open a spreadsheet and what they can do inside it. The Share button invites people by email or link with roles like viewer, commenter, or editor. This is different from publishing a read-only web feed or locking cells with protection rules.
When to use it
Use sharing when teammates, clients, or students need access to the live file with the right edit or view rights.
When to skip it
Skip broad editor links for public KPIs. Use viewer access, a dedicated publish tab, or a copy workflow instead of giving strangers edit rights.
How it works
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1
Click Share and add people by email or copy a link with a chosen role.
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2
Pick Viewer to prevent edits, Commenter to allow notes only, or Editor to change cells.
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3
Restrict link access to your organization when the file should not leave the domain.
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4
Use Notify people when you want email alerts, or uncheck for silent access grants.
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5
Transfer ownership in Share > Advanced when a client should own the master file.
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6
Review Manage access later to downgrade roles or remove collaborators.
Examples in Google Sheets
Team editor link
Anyone with the link as Editor suits a small ops team updating the same tracker daily.
Commenter for feedback
Commenter access lets reviewers suggest changes on a draft model without touching input cells.
Build this without starting from a blank cell
Use a Better Sheets tool for sharing Google Sheets, then watch a walkthrough when you want the full pattern.
Better Sheets resources
Common mistakes
- Leaving Anyone with the link as Editor on a template that should be view or copy only.
- Confusing share with Publish to web, which exposes a public URL without sign-in.
- Sharing edit access but expecting protection to stop all changes everywhere.
- Forgetting to remove former contractors from the access list after a project ends.
- Sending a view link when the recipient needs to paste data and requires Editor rights.
Frequently asked questions
- Share vs publish?
- Share grants access to specific people or link holders with a Google account role. Publish puts a public read-only feed on the web.
- Share vs protect?
- Sharing sets file-level roles. Protection blocks edits to ranges inside a file editors can otherwise open.
- Viewer vs commenter?
- Viewers read cells. Commenters can add comments and suggestions but not edit values.
- Can viewers copy data?
- Often yes unless the owner disables downloading, printing, and copying in link settings.
- How do I revoke access?
- Open Share, find the person or link, and remove or downgrade their role.
- Share with non-Google emails?
- Google may prompt them to create or use a Google account depending on your domain policy.
- Editor vs owner?
- Owners control sharing and deletion. Editors change content but cannot always manage access.
- Share vs make a copy?
- Share keeps one live file. Make a copy gives someone a separate file they fully own.
Related Tutorials
Watch how sharing Google Sheets works
Get Every Editor on Every Google File I Own
Can a Google Sheet have DRM?
Pros and Cons of Sheet Protection and Collaboration
Make Unsplash in Google Sheets - Part 2
Announcing OnlySheets 2.0
Related blog posts
Guides that explain sharing Google Sheets in more depth.
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Read post →Related glossary terms
protect sheets/ranges
Protection limits who can edit specific cells, ranges, or entire tabs while others keep view or comment access. It is how you let teammates update input columns without touching formula blocks, summary rows, or archived data. Protection is not encryption; owners and editors with rights can still adjust protections.
Read guide →publish Google Sheets
Publishing puts a read-only snapshot or live view of your sheet on the web at a public URL. File > Share > Publish to web lets you choose a tab and format (web page, CSV, TSV, PDF). Published links do not require Google login, which is powerful for embeds and data feeds but risky if you publish the wrong range.
Read guide →revoke sheet access
Revoking access means removing a person or link from the share list so they can no longer open or edit the file. In Google Sheets you use the Share dialog to remove users, downgrade editors to viewers, or turn off anyone-with-the-link sharing. Revoke is essential when contractors finish, clients churn, or a link was posted publicly by mistake.
Read guide →clone a spreadsheet
Cloning creates a new Google Sheets file from an existing one so you start from a proven layout without editing the master template. Use File > Make a copy inside the sheet or copy from Google Drive. The clone usually brings tabs, formatting, named ranges, and bound Apps Script, but sharing permissions reset.
Read guide →Done reading about sharing Google Sheets?
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