Sharing files

Share your files with people and communities or make them visible to everyone in your organization.

About this task

You can give people Reader or Editor access. You can also make the file available to the public.

Reader access: Readers can read, comment on, download, and recommend a file. Readers also can add files to folders they have Contributor access to, be notified of changes to files, and share files with other people.
Editor access: Editors can read, edit, comment on, download, recommend, upload a new version, and set properties on the file. Editors also can add files to folders they have Contributor access to, be notified of changes to the file, and share it with other people.

People and communities you share files with can be notified by email, or in their Updates tab, depending on how they have specified their notification settings. See Setting email notification preferences.

You also can share files that have been shared with you if the owner allows it. Only owners can make a file available to all users in the company.

You can click the Sharing tab on a file page to display how the file is shared.

Procedure

Share a file as follows.

Option	Description
To share a file when you upload it	Click Upload Files. Type the file path or browse for the file. Type a file name. Optional: Type tags, separated by a space or comma. Select People or Communities. Select a Person or a Community. Select as Reader or as Editor to assign access. Perform one of the following tasks: To share with people, click in the field to display the names of people you have recently shared files with. If the person you are looking for is displayed, select them. If they are not displayed, type a name or email address, and then select the person. If the name you want does not display, click Person not listed? Use full search... to search for them. To share with a community, start typing the name of the community, and then select the community name when it displays. To share with external users (people outside of your organization or company), select the Files can be shared with people external to my organization option. You must set external access when uploading a file; it cannot be turned on later. Note: When you share a file with a public community the file becomes public. Optional: Deselect Allow others to share files to prevent people you share the file with from sharing with new people. Add an optional message for people with whom you have shared the file. Click Upload.
To make a file public when you upload it	Click Upload Files. Type the file path or browse for the file. Type a file name. Optional: Type tags, separated by a space or comma. Select Public. Note: External users have the same access rights to files they have shared, but they do not have access to public files nor have an ability to upload to the public folder. Optional: Deselect Allow others to share this file to prevent people you share the file with from sharing with new people. Click Upload.
To share a file that is already uploaded	Open the file page. Click Share. Select a Person or a Community. Select as Reader or as Editor to assign access. Perform one of the following tasks: To share with people, click in the field to display the names of people you have recently shared files with. If the person you are looking for is displayed, select them. If they are not displayed, type a name or email address, and then select the person. If the name you want does not display, click Person not listed? Use full search... to search for them. To share with a communities, start typing the name of the community, and then select the community when it displays. Note: When you share a file with a public community the file becomes public. Optional: Add an optional message for people with whom you have shared the file. Click Share. You can also click the Sharing tab to access additional file sharing options.
To make a file public after you upload it	Open the file page. Click Share. Select Public. Click Share. Note: External users have the same access rights to files they have shared, but they do not have access to public files nor have an ability to upload to the public folder.
To copy a file to a community	Instead of sharing, you can copy the latest version of a file to a community. Only an owner can copy a file to a community. Open the file page. Click More Actions > Give Copy to Community. Start typing the name of the community, and then select the community when it displays. Optionally change the file name. Optionally tag the file. Click Copy.
To make a public file non-public	Open the file page. Click the Sharing tab. Click the x next to Everyone and click OK. This only makes the file non-public. People you have shared the file with can still see and work with it. Note: External users have the same access rights to files they have shared, but they do not have access to public files nor have an ability to upload to the public folder.
To make a shared file private	Open the file page. Click the Sharing tab. Click the Stop sharing this file link. Click OK. This makes you the only person who can see or work with the file.
To demote someone's access to a shared file	Open the file page. Click the Sharing tab. Click the x next to a person or community. Select a new access level and then click OK.
To stop sharing files	Open the file page. Click the Sharing tab. Click Stop sharing this file, and then click OK.
To see how a file has been shared	Open the file page. Click the Sharing tab to view sharing information. If available, click See who has shared for further details. If a file has been made available as an attachment to a status update, the `This file is associated with one or more status updates.` message displays.