How to share Google spreadsheet without collaborating?

December 17, 2013 3:06 PM

I've created simple Google spreadsheet which calculates some data entered by users. Now I need to share it with my co-workers. The problem is that when I set a share on it any data entered by one user is instantly visible to all others. I want independent copies of my spreadsheet so anybody could enter different data and get different results. In short I need to turn my Google spreadsheet into a interactive webpage something doing something like this. Is it possible?
posted by przepla to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Do you need to be able to see it? There are several options if you go to the "file" menu on your doc, including "Publish to the web" (which I've never done so I'm not sure how that works exactly), and "email as attachment", which will email the doc to each person on the list, and then when they open it in drive, they will have it as their own doc that they own (and you will not be a collaborator on it).

Do either of those options work for you?
posted by brainmouse at 3:14 PM on December 17, 2013

Hmm, I just did that and it's slightly different from the last time I did it in that it wants to send as an xlsx, but if excel is not available to you, if they can save it to drive then can then open it in Google Sheets within drive to open it as a Google Spreadsheets doc.
posted by brainmouse at 3:17 PM on December 17, 2013

Sounds like you want to use Google Forms, instead of a spreadsheet?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:25 PM on December 17, 2013 [3 favorites]

Share the spreadsheet with your coworkers so they can view it but not edit it. In order to use the tool, instruct them to use the "File > Make a Copy" option. This will save a copy to their own Google Drive that they can use freely. The only downside is that if you need to edit the formulas in the future, everyone will need to make new copies.
posted by telegraph at 3:28 PM on December 17, 2013