3 Ways to Share Your Google Docs
With Google Docs, sharing and collaborating on documents is a cinch. But if you’re working with a variety of them, you’ll want a number of ways to share your links and adjust permissions.
It’s easy to switch off these settings so that anyone with the link can quickly access the file and get to work. But sometimes that can mean oversharing or allowing people to edit that you’d prefer didn’t. In this article, you could read about different ways to share links to your Google Docs and how they work.
1. Use the Share Settings to Share Your Google Docs
Unless you’re working in a shared drive, Google sets documents you create toRestrictedby default. That means you’ll need to adjust the share settings before others can view it using the link. Otherwise, your viewers will come to a page that prompts them to request access, which could mean a lot of extra work and notifications for you and a wait for them.
To adjust the permissions settings on your file, clickSharein the top-right corner of your screen to bring up share settings. Within this menu, you can see a quick overview of who has access to the document. You can also grant access to others. Here’s how each section in this menu works.
Add People and Groups
If you want to restrict who has access to your Google Docs, you can add specific people using this field at the top of the menu. Type in their email address here. The next step is to assign their role, choose whether you’d like to notify them, and add an optional message.
They’ll get an email letting them know you’ve shared it with them, including a link that will take them to it. They can also find it again later in theShared with metab in their own Google Drive.
People With Access
Under thePeople with accessheading, you can see who has access to the document. You can also adjust their role by clicking the arrow next to it—these are:
Additionally, you can use this menu toTransfer file ownershiporRemove access.
You can make additional adjustments to your share settings by clicking the gear in the top-left corner of the panel. Here you can turn off the ability for Editors to share or change permissions of a document. You can also prevent viewers and commenters from downloading, printing, or copying the document.
General Access
WithinGeneral access,you can decide whether you want to keep the document restricted or if you want to grant access toAnyone with the link. To do so, click the fly menu besideRestrictedand make the swap.
Once you switch, you can edit the settings to allow those with the link to view, comment, or edit. Keep in mind, that if you have your file open for those with the link, you can’t prevent others from sharing the link.
When you’re all set, you can quickly grab the link by clickingCopy linkin the bottom-left corner of the panel. Now you can paste it wherever you’d like. For quick access, you couldvisually bookmark and organize your linksin software like Notion to help you find and share them later.
Additionally, you’re able to copy the link right from the address bar. Highlight everything up until the forward slash after the long string of numbers and letters to do so.
2. Publish Your Google Docs and Share the Link
You canpublish your Google Docsfor anyone to view by clickingFilein the top-left corner of your screen, hovering overShare, and selectingPublish to web. From there, all you need to do is click thePublishbutton.
This may seem the same as setting your share settings toAnyone with the link. It is, except that the information is view only, and the changes you make to the document aren’t live. So, once your file is ready for viewing, you could hit publish and grant others access.
But if you need to keep working on the document, you can adjust the setting so that no one will see your changes until you hitPublishagain. To do so, click the fly menu besidePublished content & settingsonce you make it public, and uncheckAutomatically republish when changes are made.
Once you publish it, it’s possible to share the link or embed it into other documents or web pages. To take your file down, all you need to do is go back into the same menu and selectStop publishing. This is a great way to share information without building a website or worrying about domain and hosting.
3. Link to a Specific Section by Creating a Bookmark Within Your Google Docs
Creating a bookmark within your Google Docs will bring your readers to a specific place on the page. To do so:
Keep in mind, that those you share the bookmark link with will also need access to the rest of the document. This also means they can view the whole thing.
So Many Ways to Share Your Google Docs Links
There are many ways for you to share your Google Docs links:
Which you choose is up to you and the type of document you want to link to. Remember to double-check your documents before sharing.
Want to create a public page in Notion where you can share information with others online? Here’s how to do it.
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