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How to Share a Google Doc and Control Who Can Edit It

Click Share in the top-right corner of the document, enter people’s email addresses, choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor, and click Send. To share with a link instead, change General access to Anyone with the link and copy it. You can change or remove anyone’s access at any time from the same Share window.

Updated
Time
3 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Applies to
Web, Android, iPhone

By Published Oct 6, 2026

Quick answer

  1. 1 Open the document and click Share (top right).
  2. 2 Type the email addresses of the people to share with.
  3. 3 Choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor, then click Send.
  4. 4 Or, under General access, choose Anyone with the link and click Copy link.
  5. 5 To stop sharing, open Share and change or remove access.
On this page
  1. Before you start
  2. Share with specific people
  3. Share with a link
  4. Control and remove access
  5. Troubleshooting
  6. Frequently asked questions

Before you start

  • A Google Account
  • A document in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Drive that you own or can edit

Method 1 Share with specific people

  1. Step 1: Click Share

    Open the document and click the Share button at the top right. On a phone, tap the more menu and choose Share.

  2. Step 2: Add people

    Type email addresses or names from your contacts.

  3. Step 3: Pick their access

    Choose Viewer (read only), Commenter (can comment and suggest) or Editor (can change everything).

  4. Step 4: Send

    Add a message if you like and click Send. Untick Notify people to share without sending an email.

Method 2 Share with a link

Anyone who gets the link can open the file, including people it’s forwarded to. Use Restricted for anything private.

Method 3 Control and remove access

  1. Step 1: Stop downloads and copying

    In the Share window, click the gear icon and untick Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print and copy.

  2. Step 2: Stop editors re-sharing

    In the same settings, untick Editors can change permissions and share.

  3. Step 3: Change or remove someone

    Open Share, click the role next to a person’s name and choose a new role or Remove access.

  4. Step 4: Make a link private again

    Change General access back to Restricted. The old link stops working for anyone not added by name.

Troubleshooting

People say they need access

They’re signed in with a different Google account, or the file is Restricted. Add the email they’re using, or change General access to Anyone with the link.

I can’t change the sharing settings

Only the owner or editors with permission can share. Ask the owner to give you access or to change the settings.

Frequently asked questions

Can people without Gmail open my document?

With Anyone with the link, they can view it without signing in. To comment or edit by name, they need a Google account, which can use any email address.

Can I see who opened my document?

Work and school accounts can see the Activity dashboard (Tools menu). Personal accounts can see edit history in File > Version history.

Summary

Click Share, add people and choose Viewer, Commenter or Editor, or set General access to Anyone with the link and copy it. Use the gear icon to block downloads or re-sharing, and switch back to Restricted whenever you want the file private again.

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Written by

James Chambo

Founder

James is the Founder and Senior Editor of OnlineHow with more than 20 years of experience in internet publishing.