Collaborate on a shared spreadsheet in Numbers on iPad
Whether you’re the owner of a shared spreadsheet or have been invited to collaborate, after you open the spreadsheet you can see the edits made by others in real time, hide or show editing activity, and more.
Accept an invitation to collaborate
When you receive a link to a shared spreadsheet, what happens when you tap the link depends on the access and permission set by the owner, the version of Numbers and iPadOS installed on your device, and whether you’re using iCloud Drive.
Before you begin, make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for collaborating.
Tap the link in the message you received.
If asked, sign in with your Apple ID or follow any instructions that appear.
If the email address or phone number used to invite you isn’t associated with your Apple ID, follow the instructions that appear to add that email or phone number to your Apple ID.
Note: If you don’t want to associate another email address with your Apple ID, you could instead ask the owner of the shared spreadsheet to invite you again using an email address or phone number that’s already associated with your Apple ID.
The spreadsheet opens based on the following factors:
On a Mac: The spreadsheet opens in Numbers for Mac if you clicked the link in an app like Mail on your Mac, you’ve set up and signed into iCloud Drive on your Mac, and you have macOS 12 or later and Numbers 12.2 or later on your computer. If you don’t meet those requirements, or if you click the link on a webpage, the spreadsheet may open in Numbers for iCloud.
On iCloud.com on a Mac or Windows computer: If you’re signed in to iCloud.com in a web browser, the spreadsheet opens in Numbers for iCloud, and it’s added to the spreadsheet manager and to iCloud Drive.
On an iPhone with iOS 15 or later: If Numbers 12.2 or later is installed on your iPhone, the spreadsheet opens in Numbers and is added to the spreadsheet manager.
On an iPad with iPadOS 15 or later: If Numbers 12.2 or later is installed on your iPad, the spreadsheet opens in Numbers and is added to the spreadsheet manager. If you don’t have Numbers installed on your iPad, the spreadsheet opens in Numbers for iCloud.
On an Android device, or a device without iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later and Numbers 12.2 or later: The spreadsheet opens in a browser where you can view but not edit it.
Collaborate on a shared spreadsheet
Open the shared spreadsheet.
Tap Recents at the bottom of the spreadsheet manager to see all shared spreadsheets and find the one you want. If you can’t find the shared spreadsheet, tap the link in the invitation you received, and, if asked, sign in with Apple ID.
If you can’t open the spreadsheet, see Accept an invitation to collaborate.
Edit the spreadsheet.
Edits you and others make to the spreadsheet appear in real time. Cursors and selections of text and objects appear in different colors to indicate where others are currently editing.
If there are conflicts, a dialog appears, and you can choose the version you want to keep. If you keep more than one, the most recent remains the shared version.
Edit while offline
If the Collaborate button changes to a cloud with a diagonal line through it, your device is offline.
You can continue to work on the spreadsheet and the next time you’re online, changes are uploaded to iCloud automatically.
After you reconnect, you can see the latest activity in the shared spreadsheet.
Here are a few things to keep in mind while editing a shared spreadsheet when you’re offline:
To send a copy of the spreadsheet with your changes to someone else before your changes are uploaded, tap
, then tap Export to send a copy. This method ensures that your changes are included. By contrast, if you use the Files app to attach the spreadsheet to an email message, for example, the edits you made while offline are not included.If you’re not sure whether your changes have synced, you can check their status. In the spreadsheet manager, tap the Sync Status button in the top-right corner of the screen (it looks like an up arrow).
If other participants who are online delete objects or sheets that you’re editing, the edits you made to those objects are no longer in the spreadsheet when you go back online.
To learn more, see the Apple Support article About collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
Opt out of a shared spreadsheet
If you no longer want to have access to a spreadsheet that was shared with you, you can remove yourself from the participant list.
Do one of the following:
If the spreadsheet is open: Tap
in the toolbar, then tap Manage Shared Spreadsheet.If the spreadsheet is closed: In the spreadsheet manager or Files app, open the Numbers folder in iCloud Drive, tap Select in the top-right corner, tap the spreadsheet (a checkmark appears), tap Share at the bottom of the screen, then tap Show People.
In the participant list, tap your name, then tap Remove Me.
Removing your name from the participant list removes the spreadsheet from your iCloud Drive. If you later want to access the spreadsheet again, you can use the original link to open it.
Note: Not all Numbers features are available for a spreadsheet that’s shared with others. See the Apple Support article About collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.