If you add people over time, you can see who has access by clicking Advanced. Copy the link and send it however you like, such as via Messages or to a mailing list. Then you can set the permissions for the link by clicking the down-pointing arrow next to “Anyone with the link can…” This works well for things like self-service signup spreadsheets. If that’s too specific-you’re sharing with a large group, for instance-click Get Shareable Link to turn on link sharing (above right).

You can also add a note that will be sent with the invitation. Once your document is ready to share, you can invite collaborators by clicking the large Share button in the upper-right corner of the window.įlexible permissions let you share with specific people, and for each person, set whether they can edit, comment on, or just view the document (below left). You can share documents with people who lack Google accounts or don’t want to sign in, but their comments and changes will be anonymous. You’ll need a free Google account to create new documents, and for full-fledged collaboration, your colleagues will need Google accounts too. Although all are Web-based and work best on a Mac or other desktop computer, Google also makes iOS apps that let you work-a bit less flexibly-on an iPad or iPhone.

You can manage all your files in Google Drive. The Google Docs suite competes with Apple’s iWork and Microsoft’s Office 365, providing Google Docs for word processing, Google Sheets for spreadsheet work, and Google Slides for presentations. See “Stop Mailing Files Around and Use Collaborative Apps” and for users of Apple’s iWork, “Collaborate with Colleagues in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.” Today we’re going to look at collaborating using Google’s Web-based productivity suite, Google Docs, which businesses can use for free or as part of a G Suite subscription. Collaboration is what all the cool kids-well, all the competitive businesses-are doing these days because it’s efficient and effective.

Google slides for mac