Invite others to collaborate on a spreadsheet in Numbers for iCloud
You can invite others to work with you on a spreadsheet in real time by sending them a link to it. Everyone working on the spreadsheet can see changes as they’re made.
By default, only the people you invite to collaborate on the spreadsheet and who sign in using an Apple ID can access and make changes to it. You can instead allow access to anyone who has the link to the spreadsheet, or allow people to view but not edit the spreadsheet. You can also add a password, so people need both the link and password to view the spreadsheet.
Tip: If a spreadsheet is protected by a password, for security reasons don’t send the password with the link.
Invite people to collaborate
Do one of the following:
With the spreadsheet open: Click the Collaboration button in the toolbar.
In the spreadsheet manager: Select a spreadsheet, click the More button , then choose Collaborate With Others.
Click Share Options.
Click the “Who can access” pop-up menu, then choose an option:
Only people you invite: Only people who sign in with an Apple ID can open the spreadsheet. People don’t need to have an Apple ID before you invite them; however, they need to create one before they can open your shared spreadsheet.
If you invite someone using an email address or phone number that isn’t associated with their Apple ID, they won’t be able to accept the invitation until they add the email address or phone number to their Apple ID. Instructions are provided when they tap or click the link in the invitation.
Anyone with the link: Anyone with the link to the shared spreadsheet can click the link to open the spreadsheet. To protect the spreadsheet with a password, click Add Password, then follow the instructions.
If you’ve already added a password to this spreadsheet, you can click Change Password to change or remove the password.
Click the Permission pop-up menu, then choose an option:
Can make changes: People can edit, print, and download the shared spreadsheet.
View only: People can view, print, and download the shared spreadsheet but not edit it.
If you set the access to “Only people you invite” (in the previous step), you can change individual permission settings after you share the spreadsheet.
If you don’t want participants to be able to invite others, deselect the checkbox next to “Anyone can add more people.”
This checkbox is visible only if you set the access to “Only people you invite” in step 3 above.
Choose a method for sending the link:
Note: If you have web-only iCloud access, you can’t email the link; you can only copy it.
Email: Click the Email button, click Share, then type one or more email addresses in the address field. When you’re done, click Send in the top-right corner of the email.
Share the link in another way: Click Copy Link, then do any of the following:
If the spreadsheet’s access is set to “Only people you invite”: Enter the email addresses or phone numbers, then click Share. Copy the link that appears, then paste it in whichever app you want to use to share it (for example, a text message or chat).
If the spreadsheet’s access is set to “Anyone with the link”: Click Share, copy the link that appears, then paste it in whichever app you want to use to share it (for example, a text message or chat).
Important: When you click Share, a link to the spreadsheet (which includes its title) is created on iCloud.com. If the title or content of the spreadsheet is confidential, be sure to ask recipients not to forward the link to anyone else.
After you share a spreadsheet, a checkmark appears on the Collaboration button to indicate the spreadsheet is shared.
Invite more people
If you’re the owner of a spreadsheet whose access is set to “Only people you invite,” or if the owner of a shared spreadsheet gives you permission to add more people, you can invite more people at any time.
Note: If the spreadsheet access is set to “Anyone with the link,” you can’t invite new people as described in this task. Instead, simply send them the link (see “Send the link to more people,” below).
Do one of the following:
With the spreadsheet open: Click the Collaboration button in the toolbar, then click Add People.
In the spreadsheet manager: Click Shared (on the left), then select the spreadsheet. Click the More button , choose Collaboration Details, then click Add People.
Click the Permission pop-up menu, then set the permission for the new people.
This setting affects only the new people you’re about to invite; it doesn’t change the permission of those you’ve already invited.
Note: You can allow new people to make changes without allowing them to add more people. Deselect the “Anyone can add people” checkbox below the Permission pop-up menu.
Click Email or Copy Link, then click Share.
Note: If you have web-only iCloud access, you can’t email the link; you can only copy it.
For details on setting the spreadsheet’s permission or sending the link, “Invite people to collaborate,” above.
Send the link to more people
If your spreadsheet access is set to “Anyone with the link,” you can give new people access to the spreadsheet simply by sending them the spreadsheet link.
Note: If the spreadsheet access is set to “Only people you invite,” you add new people by inviting them as described in “Invite more people,” above.
Do one of the following:
With the spreadsheet open: Click the Collaboration button in the toolbar, then click Send Link.
In the spreadsheet manager: Click Shared (on the left), then select the spreadsheet. Click the More button , choose Collaboration Details, then click Send Link.
Click Email or Copy Link, click Continue, then enter the new email addresses, or copy and paste the link in the app you want to use to share it.
Note: If you have web-only iCloud access, you can’t email the link; you can only copy it.
For details on sending the link, see “Invite people to collaborate,” above.
Copy and paste the link
If you’re the owner of a shared spreadsheet, or if you’re collaborating on a spreadsheet whose access is set to “Anyone with the link,” you can copy the shared spreadsheet link and paste it somewhere else. You might want to do this, for example, to save the link where you can easily access it.
View the spreadsheet’s collaboration details by doing one of the following:
With the spreadsheet open: Click the Collaboration button in the toolbar.
In the spreadsheet manager: Click Shared (on the left), then select the spreadsheet. Click the More button , then choose Collaboration Details.
Do one of the following:
If you’re the owner and the spreadsheet access is set to “Only people you invite”: Click Share Options, then click Copy Link.
If the spreadsheet access is set to “Anyone with the link”: Click Send Link, click Copy Link, then click Continue.
Copy and paste the link in whichever app you want to use to share it.