How to Share Workbook in Excel? (Complete Guideline)

In Excel, the Share Workbook option enables multiple users to work on a workbook simultaneously, enabling real-time collaboration where changes made by one user are instantly visible to others.

In this article, we will discuss how to share a workbook in Excel, both manually and automatically. We will also reveal how to see with whom a workbook is shared, and solve an issue when the shared workbook is not showing in Excel.

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How to Enable the Share Workbook Button in Excel

The Share Workbook button can be enabled by customizing the ribbon. After enabling it, the Share Workbook button will be visible in the Review tab.

Steps:

• Press ALT+F+T to open the Excel Options dialog box.
• Choose All Commands from the dropdown list.
• Expand the Review tab listed under Main Tabs >> Select New Group to add a Custom Group >> Select Rename.
• Rename the New Group to Share.

• Select the Share Workbook (Legacy) option from the All Commands drop-down list.
• Click on the Add button.

Here, the Add button is grayed out because it has already been added to the group.

• Similarly, add the Protect Sharing (Legacy) and the Track Changes (Legacy) commands to the Share section. These commands are available in the earlier versions but not in the newer ones.
• Click OK.

Now these commands are visible in the Review tab, as shown in the picture below.

• Select Share Workbook (Legacy) from there.
• Check the Use the old shared workbooks feature instead of the new co-authoring experience option in the Editing tab.
• Click OK.

How to Share a Workbook in Excel

Use the Share feature on the Ribbon to share Excel files online.

Steps:

• Select Share from the Ribbon. Or, go to the File tab >> Select the Share option.

The Share dialog box will appear.

• Select OneDrive – Personal.

Another dialog box will appear.

• Choose whether the file should be shared in edit or view mode.
• Click Copy to share the link with anyone.

Another dialog box will appear.

• Click on Anyone with the link can edit to access more options.

• Add specific people with whom you want to share this file.
• Set an expiration date for your file if you wish.
• Click Apply.

If specific people are not defined here, we can share this link using social networks, email etc. We can also set a password at that time.

We have successfully shared an Excel workbook online.

How to Share an Excel File with Multiple Users

You can easily share your Excel file with multiple users directly instead of uploading it to OneDrive.

Steps:

• Select the Share feature.
• In the Share dialog box that pops up, choose Excel Workbook under the Attach a copy instead option.

• Enter the email address of the user and click on the Send button.

How to See With Whom an Excel File Is Shared

We can see who has access to a shared Excel file from the Manage access option.

Steps:

• Select the Share option from the ribbon.
• In the Share dialog box that pops up, choose OneDrive – Personal.
• In the Send link dialog box, click on the Three Dots icon >> Select Manage access.

As a result, you will be able to see with whom this Excel file is shared.

How to Edit an Excel Shared Workbook

Once the shared workbook is open, you or any user with editing access rights can enter or modify data at will.

Steps:

• Go to the File tab >> Choose the Options feature.

The Excel Options dialog box pops up.

• In the User Name box under the Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office section in the General category, insert any username.
• Click OK.

Input and edit data as usual, notwithstanding the limitations of shared workbooks.

How to Highlight and Track the Changes Made by Others in a Shared Excel Workbook

You can highlight and track the changes made by others on a shared Excel workbook by using the Highlight Changes feature.

Steps:

• Go to the Review tab >> Choose the Track Changes (Legacy) option under the Share group >> Select the Highlight Changes feature.

• Choose the options like in the below screenshot.

• To protect your shared workbook, follow the screenshot below.

If the user changes any cell values, the workbook will automatically highlight the changes.

How to Share an Excel Workbook Using OneDrive

You can share an Excel workbook by saving it to OneDrive, inviting colleagues to collaborate, and seeing real-time changes together. This feature is known as co-authoring by Microsoft.

Steps:

• Open the workbook to be shared >> Choose the Share option.
• Insert the Outlook address.

How to Unshare a Workbook in Excel

After completing the relevant teamwork, you can stop sharing the Excel workbook.

Steps:

• Go to the Review tab.
• Select the Unshare Workbook feature from the Protect group.

Benefits of a Shared Workbook in Excel

• Editing simultaneously
• Real-time updates
• Time efficiency
• Enhanced communication
• Data consistency
• Secure sharing
• Centralized storage
• Allowing for easy version control

Limitations of Shared Workbook in Excel

Not all features are available in shared workbooks. Some of the unsupported features or limitations are:

• Sorting and filtering by format
• Charts and pictures
• Conditional formatting
• Merging cells
• Data validation
• Excel tables and PivotTable reports
• Subtotals
• Worksheet protection
• Hyperlinks
• Grouping or outlining data
• Array formulas
• Slicers and sparklines
• Macros

Things to Remember

• If the Workbook contains tables then Track Changes will not work. Convert all tables into a range if you need to use this feature.
• If you upload to Google Drive, the recipient should download the file and edit it with Excel. Otherwise, the file will lose some features.
• In this article we used Office 365. Depending on your version, some options may not be available.
• You will not be able to Track Changes and Co-Author at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it possible to share a workbook with someone who doesn’t have Excel?
Yes. Save the workbook in a compatible file format such as CSV (Comma Separated Values) or PDF (Portable Document Format) that can be opened by various applications and platforms.

2. Can multiple users edit a shared workbook simultaneously?
Yes. Excel allows for real-time collaboration, enabling users to make changes and see updates made by others instantly.

3. Is it possible to track changes made by different users in a shared workbook?
Answer: Yes. Enable this feature by going to the Review tab, clicking on the Track Changes button, and selecting the options you want to track.

Share Workbook Excel: Knowledge Hub