# How to share google sheet view only on Mac: browser steps, links, and fixes > Want to know how to share google sheet view only on Mac? Add people as Viewer by email, or copy a Viewer link in your browser. URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/share-with-view-only-access-in-google-sheets Updated: 2026-11-07 To share a Google Sheet view only on Mac, open the sheet in your browser, click Share, type the person's email, set the role to Viewer, and click Send. For anyone with a link, set General access to Anyone with the link, set the role to Viewer, and click Copy link. ## Quick answer - Click Share, add the person's email, set the role to Viewer, then click Send. - For a link, set General access, choose Viewer, click Copy link, then click Done. - Work and school accounts can add an expiration date within one year. - Viewer blocks edits. It does not block copying or screenshots. Applies to: Google Sheets in a browser on macOS, with Google Workspace and personal accounts. Time: 6 min. Difficulty: Easy. ## What you need - A Google account that owns the sheet, or permission to share it - A Mac with a supported browser, such as Chrome or Safari - A work or school account if you want Your Organization or expirations - Google Workspace admin access only if you plan to set the DLP rule ## How to Share a Google Sheet as view only on a Mac in Google Sheets on a Mac 1. **Open the sheet in your browser.** Open the Google Sheet in a supported browser on your Mac. Sheets runs in the browser, so there is no separate app to open. Sign in with the Google Account that owns the sheet or can share it. Tip: If you cannot see a Share button, you may not have permission to share. Ask the owner. 2. **Click Share.** (Share) Click the Share button at the top of the sheet. Depending on the layout, it can read Share with a plus sign. The Share dialog opens. 3. **Type the person's email address.** Click the field at the top of the Share dialog. Type the email address or the Google Group name. Add one person at a time, so each role is easy to check. Tip: Read the address back before you move on. A typo sends the file to someone else. 4. **Set the role to Viewer.** (Share > Role menu > Viewer) Click the role menu next to the name you added and choose Viewer. The role controls what the person can do. Viewer means read only. 5. **Choose whether to notify.** Check Notify people if you want an email to go out. Uncheck it if you want the person to open the file from Google Drive without an email. Tip: The Notify people checkbox is not confirmed on every account type, so check the dialog you see. 6. **Click Send or Share.** Click Send when Notify people is checked. Click Share when it is not. Then close the dialog. The person now has view-only access. 7. **Create a view-only link.** (Share > General access > Anyone with the link) To share with a link, find General access in the Share dialog. Open its menu and choose Anyone with the link. On a work or school account, you can choose Your Organization instead. Tip: Restricted needs no link. Only people you added can open the file. 8. **Set Viewer and copy the link.** (Share > General access > Viewer) Under General access, set the role to Viewer. Click Copy link. Paste the link into your email or chat, then click Done. 9. **Add an expiration on a work or school account.** (Share > Person's name dropdown > Add expiration) Open the dropdown next to the person's name and choose Add expiration. Pick a date within one year, then click Save. Tip: The option does not appear on personal Google Accounts. 10. **Use Tool finder when a command is hard to find.** (Tool finder) Shortcut: ⌥ /. Press ⌥ / to open Tool finder. Type the name of the command you want. This helps when you forget where a setting sits in the menus. ![Person at a Mac laptop learning how to share Google Sheet view only with a colleague](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/share-with-view-only-access-in-google-sheets/how-to-share-google-sheet-view-only-1-8b1ac5.jpg) ## Share with specific people as Viewer This is the safest way to share view only. You name each person, and nobody else gets in unless you share again. Google emails the person when you keep Notify people checked. They open the sheet from that email or from Google Drive. Viewer lets people read every tab and every formula result. They cannot type into cells or change the layout. You can change the role later, so a view-only sheet can become editable later too. ## Create a view-only link on a Mac A link is the better choice when you need to reach a group, or people you do not want to list one by one. Open Share and look at General access. Restricted means only people you added can open the file. Choose Anyone with the link to let anyone with the URL open the sheet. On a work or school account, Your Organization limits access to people in your company. Set the role to Viewer, click Copy link, and then click Done. Before you paste the link anywhere, test it. Open it in a private browser window while signed out. That shows you what an outsider sees. If it asks you to sign in, the link is restricted. ## Set an expiration for view-only access Expiration works only for work or school accounts. Open Share, click the dropdown next to the person's name, and choose Add expiration. Pick a date within one year, then click Save. When the date passes, their access ends. Personal Google accounts do not get this option. If you share a sheet from a personal account, put a reminder in your calendar. Remove the person by hand when the project ends. It takes a minute and avoids forgotten access. ## Change or remove view-only access later Open Share again and click the role menu beside the person's name. Choose a different role, or pick Remove access to take them off the sheet. Check the list afterward to confirm the role is right. Check General access too. A link set to Anyone with the link keeps working until you change it, even if the project ended months ago. Changing the setting back to Restricted closes the link for everyone outside the list. ## What view-only access does not stop View only is about editing. It does not stop people from reading and copying what they see. If you need to block download, print, and copy for viewers, a Google Workspace admin can set a Data Loss Prevention rule for that. The admin rule has limits. It applies to My Drive and shared drives. A change applies only after an open file reloads. It does not prevent printing in Preview mode. Treat it as a deterrent, not a lock. - Screenshots and photos of the screen - A viewer sharing the content again - Printing in Preview mode, even when the admin rule is on ![Team members at a desk looking at a shared spreadsheet on laptops](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/share-with-view-only-access-in-google-sheets/how-to-share-google-sheet-view-only-2-f49f4b.jpg) ## Why a viewer still can't open the sheet Most access errors come from the account, not the sheet. If you shared with a work address and the person opened the link while signed in to a personal account, they see an error. Google's help page lists three causes: the owner has not given permission, the person is signed in to a different Google Account, or someone with edit access removed their edit permission. The fix for the wrong account is simple. Click the profile picture at the top right, choose Sign out, sign in with the correct account, and reopen the link. If a viewer wants to edit, they can ask you. They open the file, click Request edit access, add an optional note, and click Send request. You get an email. They need to be online to send the request. ## The risk of anyone with the link Link sharing causes most of the trouble. In a June 2024 analysis, Valence Security found that 22% of external data shares used open links, where anyone with the link can get in. It also found that 94% of those open-link shares were inactive. - **22%** of external data shares use open links, where anyone with the link can access (vendor study) ([source](https://www.valencesecurity.com/resources/blogs/the-danger-of-sharing-files-with-anyone-with-the-link-examining-a-risky-google-drive-misconfiguration)) - **94%** of those open-link shares were inactive in the same Valence Security analysis ([source](https://www.valencesecurity.com/resources/blogs/the-danger-of-sharing-files-with-anyone-with-the-link-examining-a-risky-google-drive-misconfiguration)) That is vendor research, and the article does not state a sample size. Read the numbers as a warning, not a measurement. The point holds anyway. An open link you forgot about stays open. Use Restricted for sheets with private data. Use Anyone with the link only for material that anyone can see. On work accounts, prefer Your Organization, and set an expiration. ## Mac keyboard shortcuts near the sharing controls Google's shortcut list for Mac does not include a shortcut for sharing. You still click Share. Press ⌘ / to see the common shortcuts for the sheet. Press ⌥ / to open Tool finder, which Google used to call Search the menus. Ctrl + Option + F opens the File menu, written ⌃ ⌥ F on a Mac. Option + Shift + S opens the Sheet menu, written ⌥ ⇧ S. Use those to reach nearby settings without leaving the keyboard. ## Mistakes people make with view-only sharing - A typo in the email address sends the sheet to someone else. Read the address back before you click Send. - Leaving Notify people checked when you wanted quiet access. Uncheck it, and the person has to open the file from Google Drive. - Using Anyone with the link on a sheet with customer names or pay data. - Assuming Viewer blocks copying. It does not. Use the admin rule if copying matters. - Sharing a copy instead of the original. A copy is a separate file, so changing access on your master does not change it. ![Close view of a Mac laptop on a desk, used to share a Google Sheet view only](https://lfobmih1tpj3sgpo.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/content-images/howto/share-with-view-only-access-in-google-sheets/how-to-share-google-sheet-view-only-3-b79ef2.jpg) ## Check the view before you send Open the link in a private browser window, signed out. This shows you what someone outside your account sees. If the link asks for sign in, it is limited to people you added or your organization. If it opens, the link is open to anyone with the URL. Then reopen the Share dialog and read each role. Confirm that the name you want reads Viewer. A wrong role is easy to miss in a short list, and it takes a second to fix. ## Personal and work accounts show different options Work and school accounts see the most options. Your Organization appears under General access, and expirations are available. Personal accounts see fewer choices, so Restricted and Anyone with the link are the main ones you will use. Check which Google Account is active before you share. If your browser has both a work profile and a personal profile, the sheet can open in the wrong one. Switch profiles and share again if the options look wrong. ## What to do after you share Watch the sheet's history for changes you did not expect. The guide on [seeing revision history in Google Sheets on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/see-revision-history-in-google-sheets) shows how. If the person only needs a copy to read, [export the sheet as PDF](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/export-as-pdf-in-google-sheets) and send the file instead. Google's sharing help pages do not cover protected ranges. Do not count on a protected range to keep viewers out of part of a sheet. Test it yourself before you rely on it. ## Shortcuts - Show common shortcuts: ⌘ / - Open Tool finder: ⌥ / - Open the File menu: ⌃ ⌥ F - Open the Sheet menu: ⌥ ⇧ S - Share (no shortcut listed): None listed ## If it does not work - **The Share button is missing** You may not have permission to share this file. Ask the owner to share it with you or change your access, then reload the sheet. - **The person sees an access error** Check the email address you added. Ask them to sign out from the profile picture at the top right, sign in with that account, and reopen the link. - **The person sees a Request edit access button** That is the view-only role working. They can click Request edit access, add a note, and click Send request. They must be online to send it, and you get an email. - **No Add expiration option appears** Expiration works only for work or school accounts, and only within one year. On a personal account, remove access by hand when the project ends. - **An admin rule still allows printing or copying** The rule applies only after an open file reloads, so ask the viewer to reload the sheet. The rule also does not prevent printing in Preview mode. - **The link reaches people who should not see it** Set General access back to Restricted, then add only the people who need access. Anyone who already opened the link may still have a copy of what they saw. ## With Lazur Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download - “Where's the Share button in this sheet?”: Lazur circles the Share button and labels it on your screen. You still click it, then set the role to Viewer yourself. (Points at it) ## FAQ ### Can I share a Google Sheet as view only on Mac without a link? Yes. Click Share, add the person's email, set the role to Viewer, and click Send or Share. The person signs in with the account you added to open the file. ### Is there a Mac app for Google Sheets with a different Share menu? Not in the Google help pages I checked. Sheets runs in your browser on a Mac, so the Share dialog is the same. These steps follow the browser version. ### Does view-only access stop people from copying data? No. Viewer stops edits, not copying. A Google Workspace admin can set a rule that blocks download, print, and copy for viewers and commenters, but that rule is a deterrent, not full protection. ### Can a view-only link expire? Only on work or school accounts. Open the dropdown next to the person's name, choose Add expiration, pick a date within one year, and click Save. ### What happens when a viewer requests edit access? They click Request edit access, add an optional note, and click Send request. You get an email about it. They must be online to send the request. ### Why does the sheet say I need permission? The owner may not have given that account view access, or you may be signed in to a different Google Account. Sign out from the profile picture, sign in with the right account, and reopen the link. ### Is there a Mac keyboard shortcut for Share? Google's shortcut list for Mac does not include one, so use the Share button with the mouse. Press ⌥ / to search for other commands by name in Tool finder. ## Sources 1. [Share and manage access to files and folders in Google Drive - Google Drive Help](https://support.google.com/drive/answer/7166529?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07 2. [Share files and folders in Drive - Google Workspace Learning Center](https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9310248?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07 3. [Keyboard shortcuts for Google Sheets - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/181110?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 4. [Can't edit a file - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6239515?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop), Google, checked 2026-11-07 5. [Prevent users from downloading, printing, or copying files - Google Workspace Admin Help](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/dlp-disable-download-print-copy), Google, checked 2026-11-07 6. [The Danger of Sharing Files with 'Anyone with the Link': Examining a Risky Google Drive Misconfiguration](https://www.valencesecurity.com/resources/blogs/the-danger-of-sharing-files-with-anyone-with-the-link-examining-a-risky-google-drive-misconfiguration), Valence Security, checked 2026-11-07 7. [Google Workspace – Google Sheets product page](https://workspace.google.com/products/sheets/), Google, checked 2026-11-07