How to Share a Google Sheet (Viewer, Commenter or Editor)
Sharing a spreadsheet lets other people open it in their browser, always seeing the latest version. You decide whether each person can only look, leave comments, or edit.
Share with specific people
- Click the Share button in the top-right corner.
- In Add people, groups, spaces and calendar events, type an email address.
- Choose a role: Viewer, Commenter or Editor.
- Keep Notify people ticked to send them an email with the link, add an optional message, and click Send.
What each role can do
| Role | View | Comment | Edit cells | Share with others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer | Yes | No | No | No |
| Commenter | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Editor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, by default |
Share with a link
Under General access, change Restricted to Anyone with the link, pick the role on the right, and click Copy link. Anyone who has the link can open the file, without being invited by email.
Be careful with editor links. "Anyone with the link" plus "Editor" means anyone who gets hold of the link can change or delete your data. For public sharing, Viewer is almost always the right choice.
Stop sharing
- To remove one person, open Share, click the role next to their name and choose Remove access.
- To turn off link sharing, set General access back to Restricted.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share only one tab of a spreadsheet?
No, sharing always applies to the whole file. Put the data you want to share in a separate file and pull it in with IMPORTRANGE, or protect the tabs editors shouldn't change.
Can viewers download or copy the sheet?
By default, yes. In the Share dialog, click the settings icon and untick the option that lets viewers and commenters download, print and copy.