Recently I got let go by a colleague who was really pissed off and had to vent a bit. It looks like a writer shared a new Google Docs article with them (a common way to submit a freelance article), and when my colleague opened the article, they discovered another unknown person was already reading it – someone 'one that was definitely not on our team.
What happened? The author, probably too eager to share the document with specific people, had simply made it public so that anyone could have access to it. This not only made the article available to everyone before it had been properly edited and published – something no publication wants – but opened it up to all sorts of mischief.
Harms like what happened in June 2021, when another editor accidentally tweeted the link to an editable document to their followers. (I/O means The site was temporarily unavailable, and it seemed like a good idea to post news on Google Docs in the meantime.) Cheerfulness ensued.
So obviously allow anyone Viewing, commenting on, or editing a Google document can cause issues, especially if the link to that document is forwarded. Interestingly, when you first create a Google Doc, the software defaults to it being a private document, to be shared only if you explicitly request it. (There may be exceptions; if it's a work account, the admin may have changed the default so that it's automatically shared by other people in your company.) So usually , you must consciously make the document completely public.
So here's how you can share your Google Docs document – with care.
First, go to the document you want to share and click the big Share button in the top right corner.
You will get a popup called "Share with people and groups".
Start typing the name of the person or group in the field just below. If this person is in your contact list, their name will appear; otherwise, you can enter their full email address. You can enter more than one name; however, this means that everyone you added will have the same type of access to the document. (We'll talk about access in a second.)
When you have added at least one name, you will see a box on the right that says "Editor". Click on it for a drop-down menu that allows you to select the type of access people/groups can have to your document. These include:
It's generally a good idea to select the most restrictive type that's practical enough for your use case. For example, if you are writing a document with several others, you will want to give them editor status; but if you don't want them to make changes without your approval, commenter status is best.
(Expert Tip:If the people you shared the document with edited the document but didn't tell you what they edited, go to "File"> "Edit History versions"> "View version history". right-coded preview showing when the document was modified and by whom; click on the date, and the modifications will be visible in the document, along with the color associated with different users. )
You can also change the degree of access editors, commenters, and readers have to your document by selecting the settings icon (a cogwheel) in the upper right corner of this pop-up window. By unchecking the boxes in the settings pop-up window, you can prevent editors from changing your permissions or sharing the document, and you can prevent editors and reviewers from downloading, printing, and copying the document.
Once you've finished adding the people you want to share with, make sure the "Notify People" box is checked if you want to send them an email notifying them of the document; a field below that allows you to enter a personal message that will be added to the standard Google email.
But wait, there's more.
There is a "Get link" section under the "Share with people and groups" section that allows you to copy the link to your document (for example, if you prefer to send the link by SMS to one of your authorized sharers). The default is called "Restricted", which means the only people who can see the document are those you've shared it with. But you can also use the "Get Link" section to make the link more accessible to more people.
To do this, click on "Restricted" and change it to "Anyone with the link". It means anyone who has the link – whether you sent it, or a friend sent it, or it was posted on Twitter – can access the document. (Even here, however, you can adjust access so that people have Viewer, Commenter, or Editor rights.)
Sharing a document is also possible – although slightly more inconvenient – on a mobile device.
