How to Share Excel Files with Other Users Safely and Effectively

In the modern world of work, sharing information and collaborating with colleagues is very common. One of the most effective ways to collaborate on data processing is to use Microsoft Excel.

Excel files are one of the most commonly used file formats for storing numeric and text data. Excel files are often used for work, school, or personal purposes. It’s common to share Excel files with others, for example, to collaborate on a project or to share data.

However, the question that often arises is how to share Excel files with other users for collaboration purposes. There are several ways to share Excel files. The most common way is to share it online or offline.

In this guide, we’ll explain some of the ways you can easily and securely share Excel files with other users.

How to Share Excel Files with OneDrive

OneDrive is a cloud storage service from Microsoft that lets you store, access, and share your files from a variety of devices. One of the advantages of using OneDrive is that you can share Excel files with other users online, without having to send files via email or other media. Here are the steps:

1. Save your Excel file to OneDrive. You can choose File > Save As > OneDrive – Personal (for personal files) or OneDrive – <Company Name> (for work files). Enter a file name and select Save.
2. Select Share on the ribbon or select File > Share. If the file hasn’t been saved to OneDrive, you’ll be prompted to upload it first.
3. Set permissions for the people you want to share the file with. You can choose who can edit or only view your file. You can also add a password or expiration date if necessary.
4. Enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to share the file with. You can also add a message if you want. Select Submit.
5. People you share the file with will receive an email with a link to open your Excel file in a browser or Excel app. They can edit or view the file according to the permissions you grant.
6. If you want to co-edit an Excel file with other users at the same time, make sure everyone has the file open in the Excel app. You can see who’s editing the file in the upper-right corner. Colored cells will show where everyone is working in the workbook.

How to Share Excel Files with SharePoint

SharePoint is a collaboration platform from Microsoft that lets you create websites, lists, documents, and more. One of the advantages of using SharePoint is that you can share Excel files with other users in your organization or team online, without needing to install the Excel app on their devices. Here are the steps:

1. Save your Excel file to SharePoint. You can choose File > Save As > SharePoint – <Site Name> (for existing sites) or SharePoint – Other (for new sites). Enter a file name and select Save.
2. Select Share on the ribbon or select File > Share. If the file hasn’t been saved to SharePoint, you’ll be prompted to upload it first.
3. Set permissions for the people you want to share the file with. You can choose who can edit or only view your file. If a SharePoint site has specific user groups, you can also select those groups.
4. Enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to share the file with. You can also add a message if you want. Select Submit.
5. People you share the file with will receive an email with a link to open your Excel file in a browser or Excel app. They can edit or view the file according to the permissions you grant.
6. If you want to co-edit an Excel file with other users at the same time, make sure everyone has the file open in the browser. You can see who’s editing the file in the upper-right corner. Colored cells will show where everyone is working in the workbook.