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Invite others to collaborate in Numbers on Mac
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 open and make changes to it. However, you can change the access privileges so that anyone with the link can open it (without an Apple ID), or change the editing privileges so people can view, but not edit the spreadsheet.
After you share a spreadsheet, you can invite more people to join the spreadsheet at any time. How you invite others depends on which access privilege is chosen (that is, whether invitees need to sign in with an Apple ID or not).
Tip: If the spreadsheet is protected by a password, for security reasons don’t send the password with the link.
Invite people to collaborate
To invite others to collaborate on a spreadsheet, make sure that you’re signed in with your Apple ID, you’ve set up Numbers to use iCloud Drive, and the spreadsheet you want to share is stored in iCloud Drive.
With the spreadsheet open, click
in the toolbar.
If Collaborate isn’t showing in the pop-up menu at the top, click the pop-up menu, then choose Collaborate.
To change who can access the spreadsheet, click the disclosure arrow below Collaborate, click the “Who can access” pop-up menu, then choose an option (if you don’t see these options, make sure the spreadsheet in stored in iCloud):
Only invited people: Only people you invite who sign in with their 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 who has the link to the shared spreadsheet can tap or click the link to open the spreadsheet.
To change who can make changes to the spreadsheet, click the Permissions 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. They can’t reply to or delete comments in the activity list, and when they join a spreadsheet, no notifications appear.
Note: If you set access to “Only invited people” (in the previous step), you can change individual permission settings after you share it.
If you don’t want all participants to be able to invite others, deselect “Allow others to invite.”
Choose a method for sending the invitation to collaborate (if the spreadsheet isn’t stored in iCloud Drive, you’re prompted to move it there):
Mail or Messages: Type an email address or phone number for each recipient, add a note if you want, then click Send (for Mail) or press Enter (for Messages). A link to the file is sent to each recipient.
Notes: To share a link to the file in the Notes app, select or type the name of the recipients, click Share Link, choose the note where you want to save it (or create a new one), add text if you want, then click Save.
Invite with Link: Copy the file’s link, so you can send it or post it using any internet service that’s already set up on your Mac. Type an email address or phone number for each recipient, then click Copy Link. Open the app you want to use to share the link, click where you want to paste the link, then choose Edit > Paste (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), or press Command-V on the keyboard.
Important: The link to the spreadsheet that’s created when you invite collaborators includes the spreadsheet’s title. 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 to sign in to the spreadsheet
If you’re the owner of a spreadsheet whose access is set to “Only invited people,” or if the owner of a shared spreadsheet gives you permission to add people, you can invite more people to join the spreadsheet using their Apple ID.
Note: If the spreadsheet access is set to “Anyone with the link,” follow the instructions in the next task, Send the link to more people (no Apple ID required).
Do one of the following:
Choose File > Manage Shared Spreadsheet (from the File menu at the top of your screen).
Click
in the toolbar, then click Manage Shared Spreadsheet.
In iCloud Drive, Control-click the file, then choose Manage Shared Spreadsheet.
Click Share With More People, then choose a method for sending the invitation to collaborate:
Mail or Messages: Type an email address or phone number for each recipient, add a note if you want, then click Send (for Mail) or press Enter (for Messages). A link to the file is sent to each recipient.
Notes: To share a link to the file in the Notes app, select or type the name of the recipients, click Share Link, choose the note where you want to save it (or create a new one), add text if you want, then click Save.
Invite with Link: Copy the file’s link, so you can send it or post it using any internet service that’s already set up on your Mac. Type an email address or phone number for each recipient, then click Copy Link. Open the app you want to use to share the link, click where you want to paste the link, then choose Edit > Paste (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), or press Command-V on the keyboard.
Click Done.
Note: The link may appear in the body of the message as a stylized graphic with the spreadsheet title—be sure not to edit or delete it.
Any participant can copy a link to a spreadsheet and paste it somewhere else—for example, to save the link where they can easily access it. If the owner limited access to people they invite, the link only works for invited participants.
You can change the sharing settings for the new people after you send the link.
Send the link to more people (no Apple ID required)
If your spreadsheet’s access is set to “Anyone with the link,” you can invite more people to collaborate on the spreadsheet by sending them a link that doesn’t require an Apple ID to view the spreadsheet.
Note: If the spreadsheet access is set to “Only invited people,” follow the instructions in the previous task, Invite more people to sign in to the spreadsheet.
With the spreadsheet open, click
in the toolbar.
Choose a method for sending the link:
Mail or Messages: Type an email address or phone number for each recipient, add a note if you want, then click Send (for Mail) or press Enter (for Messages). A link to the file is sent to each recipient.
Notes: To share a link to the file in the Notes app, select or type the name of the recipients, click Share Link, choose the note where you want to save it (or create a new one), add text if you want, then click Save.
Share the link in another way: Click Copy Link, then click where you want to paste the link. Choose Edit > Paste (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), or press Command-V on the keyboard.
Important: The link to the spreadsheet that’s created when you invite collaborators includes the spreadsheet’s title. If the title or content of the spreadsheet is confidential, be sure to ask recipients not to forward the link to anyone else.