Numbers for iCloud beta: Share and edit a spreadsheet with others

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Share and edit a spreadsheet with others

You can send anyone a link to a spreadsheet saved in Numbers for iCloud beta. Recipients can click the link to view or edit the spreadsheet using a supported web browser on a Mac or Windows computer. People you share the link with don’t need an iCloud account to view or edit the spreadsheet.

iCloud keeps your spreadsheet up-to-date on iCloud.com and on all your devices, so you and the people you share the spreadsheet with always have the latest version.

If you want to restrict access to your spreadsheet, you can protect it with a password, and you can restrict permission so others can view the spreadsheet but not make changes to it.

Share a spreadsheet

  1. Do one of the following:

    • From a spreadsheet: Click Share in the toolbar, then click Share Spreadsheet.

      To protect a spreadsheet with a password, click Add Password.

    • From the spreadsheet manager: Select a spreadsheet, choose Share Spreadsheet from the Settings pop-up menu in the toolbar, then click Share Spreadsheet.

    Note:   To share a Numbers ’09, Microsoft Excel, or CSV spreadsheet, you need to open it in Numbers for iCloud beta first.
  2. To set editing permissions, choose an option from the Permissions pop-up menu.

    • Allow Editing: Recipients can edit, print, and download the shared spreadsheet.

    • View Only: Recipients can view, print, and download the shared spreadsheet, but not edit it.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Send the link in an email message: Click Send Link, type one or more names or email addresses in an address field, then click Send.

    • Copy the link to share it in other ways: Select the link, then press Command-C or Control-C to copy it to your computer’s clipboard so you can paste it somewhere else—a social-networking site, a blog, or in a chat, for example.

You can share a link to a spreadsheet as many times as you want. You can’t share spreadsheets that exceed 200 MB.

Resend a link to a shared spreadsheet

  1. Do one of the following:

    • From a shared spreadsheet: Click Share in the toolbar, then click Settings.

    • From the spreadsheet manager: Select a shared spreadsheet, then choose View Share Settings from the Settings pop-up menu in the toolbar.

  2. To change editing permissions, choose an option from the Permissions pop-up menu.

    • Allow Editing: Recipients can edit, print, and download the shared spreadsheet.

    • View Only: Recipients can view, print, and download the shared spreadsheet, but not edit it.

  3. Do one of the following:

    • Send the link in an email message: Click Send Link, type one or more names or email addresses in an address field, then click Send.

    • Copy the link to share it in other ways: Select the link, then press Command-C or Control-C to copy it to your computer’s clipboard so you can paste it somewhere else—a social-networking site, a blog, or in a chat, for example.

Edit a shared spreadsheet

Note:   If a spreadsheet is password protected, you need the spreadsheet’s password to open it. If a spreadsheet is set to View Only, you can’t edit it.
  1. Do one of the following:

    • If you’re the owner of the spreadsheet: Sign in to iCloud.com, open Numbers for iCloud beta, then open the shared spreadsheet.

    • If you're the recipient of the spreadsheet link: Click the link you received.

    Note:   If you receive the spreadsheet link, you don’t need an iCloud account to view or edit the shared spreadsheet. If you have an iCloud account and you open the shared spreadsheet, you can sign in to iCloud.com from the Tools menu if you want.
  2. If it’s your first time editing this spreadsheet as a collaborator, enter a screen name in the field provided, then click OK.

    If you want, you can remain anonymous by using the placeholder screen name “Collaborator.”

  3. Edit the spreadsheet.

    Note:   Edits you and others make to the spreadsheet while you’re on the web appear in real time. Colored cursors and colored selections of text, objects, and table cells indicate where others are currently editing.
    Collaborator cursor and table cell selections in Numbers for iCloud.
  4. To see others’ edits as they make them, or to change your screen name, click Share in the toolbar, then do any of the following:

    • Show or hide editing activity, including colored cursors and selections: Select or deselect the Show Activity checkbox.

    • Go to another person’s location in the spreadsheet: Click their name in the list.

    • Change your screen name: Click your name, then enter a new screen name.

      Spreadsheet owners can’t edit their screen name.

Access spreadsheets others have shared with you

  1. Sign in to iCloud.com, then open Numbers for iCloud beta.

  2. In the spreadsheet manager, click Shared presentation button in the toolbar.

    Note:   The list displays only shared spreadsheets you previously opened.
  3. Do either of the following:

    • Open a spreadsheet: Click a spreadsheet in the list.

    • Remove a spreadsheet from the list: Move the pointer over the spreadsheet you want to remove, then click the X to the right of the spreadsheet’s name.

Stop sharing a spreadsheet

  1. Do one of the following:

    • From a spreadsheet: Click Share in the toolbar, then click Settings.

    • From the spreadsheet manager: Select a spreadsheet, then choose View Share Settings from the Settings pop-up menu in the toolbar.

  2. Click Stop Sharing.

Last Modified: Nov 11, 2015
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