Google Sheets, a component of Google Workspace, is a popular online spreadsheet platform that allows users to create, read and edit files online while collaborating with other users in real time. It’s a powerful tool with countless applications, but one of its downfalls is that, by default, you can only share an entire workbook with other users, rather than individual sheets.
However, there is a workaround that allows you to share just a single sheet from a Google Sheets workbook. Let’s walk through the steps to achieve this.
Step 1: Create a New Google Sheet
The first step is to create a new Google Sheet. This will be the sheet that you’ll share with the individual or group of individuals. To do this, you simply navigate to Google Sheets, click on the “+” icon to create a new sheet.
Step 2: Import the Sheet you want to share
Next, in the newly created Google Sheet, you will import the sheet that you want to share from the original Google Sheets document. This can be done using the =IMPORTRANGE() function. This function takes two parameters: the URL of the original Google Sheets workbook, and the name of the sheet you want to share.
To do this, click on a cell in the new Google Sheet and enter the following function:
=IMPORTRANGE("URL-of-original-sheet", "sheet-name")
Replace “URL-of-original-sheet” with the URL of the original Google Sheets document, and replace “sheet-name” with the name of the sheet you want to share.
Step 3: Share the New Google Sheet
With the data imported, you can now share this new Google Sheet with whomever you like, without granting them access to the rest of your original workbook. You can share the new Google Sheet in the same way that you’d normally share a Google Sheets document: by clicking the “Share” button in the top right corner, and entering the email addresses of the people you’d like to share the document with.
Conclusion
That’s it! By using the =IMPORTRANGE() function, you can effectively share individual sheets from a Google Sheets workbook. This is an excellent way to collaborate on specific pieces of a larger project without oversharing information. Keep in mind though, any changes made to the original sheet will be reflected in the shared one. Happy sharing!
