Need to work on a shared spreadsheet with coworkers, classmates, or friends and family? It's easy to do in the online version of Microsoft Excel. Unlike sharing a workbook in the desktop version of Excel, the web version is free for everyone, so you won't need a Microsoft 365 subscription to collaborate. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to share an Excel workbook online with Excel for the web, help you troubleshoot and fix problems, and provide answers to common questions about shared workbooks.
Quick Steps: Sharing an Excel Workbook Online
- Open your spreadsheet in the web version of Excel.
- Click the green Share button.
- Click Share on the menu.
- Enter the email address of the person you want to share with.
- Click the pencil icon to enable or disable their editing access.
- Click Send .
Steps
Sharing a Workbook in Excel on the Web
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1Open your Excel file or create a new one. If you're using Excel on the web, it's easy to share a spreadsheet with anyone. To get started, log in to Excel on the Web with your Microsoft account, then open your file.
- To create a new shared workbook, select a template at the top, or click Blank workbook to start fresh.
- If you already have an Excel workbook saved on your computer that you want to share, you can click Upload at the top-right corner of your file list to upload it now.
- You can use this method to share an Excel workbook even if you don't subscribe to Microsoft 365. The person you share with also won't need a subscription, but they will need a Microsoft account.
- If you or the person you share with wants to edit the workbook in the desktop version of Excel, you will need to have a Microsoft 365 subscription. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
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Click the Share button. You'll see this green button in the top right corner of the page. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to sourceAdvertisement
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3Click Share again on the menu. This opens the "Share (filename)" menu.
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4Enter the email address of the person you want to share with. Type the person's email address into the field. [3] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- You can share the file with multiple people if you'd like.
- If you would like to include a message with the sharing notification, type it into the "Add a message" field.
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5Click the pencil icon to set the permissions. By default, the person you share the file with can edit the file ( Can edit ). If you only want the person to be able to view the file but not make changes, select Can view instead.
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Click Send . This sends a link to the Excel workbook to the person or people you entered. If you'd rather send out a link manually, you can click Copy Link to save the link to your clipboard.
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7Collaborate. Now that the workbook is shared, the person you're sharing with can click the link you emailed them to open it in Excel on the web. If they subscribe to Microsoft 365, they will also see the option to open it in the desktop app. To get started , here are a few important things to know:
- If you and another person are editing the workbook at the same time, you'll see a colored outline representing their cursor. When they are working on a cell, that cell will be outlined in their editing color. [4] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
- To comment on a cell, right-click or control-click the cell, then select New comment .
- To see comments on the worksheet, go to Review > Comments > Show comments . Also, a purple flag will appear in cells with comments, and clicking that cell will reveal the comment.
- To see changes to the workbook, go to Review > Changes and History > Show Changes .
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/share-your-excel-workbook-with-others-8d8a52bb-03c3-4933-ab6c-330aabf1e589#id0ebbh=windows
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=macos
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/about-the-shared-workbook-feature-49b833c0-873b-48d8-8bf2-c1c59a628534
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring-7152aa8b-b791-414c-a3bb-3024e46fb104#picktab=web
About This Article
1. Go to https://office.com/launch/excel
and log in if prompted.
2. Open your project or create a new one.
3. Click Share
.
4. Set the permissions.
5. Enter the name, group, or email of who you want to share the workbook with.
6. Click Send
.