The best way to share an Excel workbook depends on whether you want live collaboration or simply want to send someone a copy. For simultaneous editing, save the workbook to OneDrive or SharePoint and use Excel’s Share command.
- Open the workbook in Excel.
- Save it to OneDrive or an appropriate SharePoint location if it is still stored only on your computer.
- Select Share.
- Choose who can access the file and whether they can edit it.
- Enter recipients or copy the sharing link.
- Send the invitation or link.
Available sharing controls depend on your Microsoft account, Microsoft 365 subscription, and organization policies.
Be careful with link permissions
Before sending a link, check whether it allows editing and whether it is limited to named people, people in your organization, or anyone with the link. Use the narrowest access that fits the situation, especially for confidential spreadsheets.
If you only need to send a copy
You can attach the workbook to an email or send a copied file instead. Recipients then work on separate versions, so their edits will not automatically appear in your original workbook.
Older Excel tutorials may describe a legacy “Shared Workbook” feature. Modern co-authoring through OneDrive or SharePoint is the preferred approach for current Excel versions.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.