As mentioned in our previous blog post, you can perform Microsoft Office collaboration using Microsoft Office Online. In this blog post, we will examine how to perform collaboration with other users by using Word Online and OneDrive, formerly called SkyDrive. OneDrive is the free online, shared server storage space within which you can save documents and collaborate with others. It is automatically included as part of your free Microsoft account.
After you sign in to the free online version of Microsoft Word Online, you can create a new document. You can create a new blank document or start by using one of the many online templates available. Documents created in Microsoft Word Online are automatically saved to OneDrive.
To share the document that you have made with other users, click the “File” tab in the Ribbon and then click the “Share” button at the left side of the backstage view that appears. Then click the “Share with People” button shown in the area to the right.
A picture of the “Share” screen within the “File” tab in the Ribbon in Microsoft Word Online.
Doing that will display a window where you can then share and collaborate on the document with others. Ensure that the “Invite others” link is selected at the left side of this screen and then enter the email addresses of the people with whom you want to share the document into the “To” field. You can type a brief message to the recipients into the field below the “To” field. To set editing for the Word document, click the “Recipients can edit” hyperlink underneath the message. Two drop-down menus will then replace the hyperlink. Use the top drop-down menu to select whether or not the recipients can edit the Word document. Use the bottom drop-down to select whether or not the recipients need to sign in with a Microsoft account to view or edit the document. When finished, click the “Share” button to send an email to the recipients inviting them to collaborate on the document with you. You will then see the names of the recipients in the left part of this window under the “Shared with” section. You can click the “Close” button to return to the Word document.
A picture of the “Invite People” screen within Microsoft Word Online.
Another way to share and collaborate on a document in Word Online is to share a link. To do this, click the “File” tab in the Ribbon and then click the “Share” button at the left side of the backstage view that appears. Then click the “Share with People” button shown in the area to the right.
This time, however, you will click the “Get a link” button at the left side of the window that appears. You can use the drop-down in the area to the right to select “Edit” to create a link that allows anyone with the link to edit the document. The other choices in the drop-down menu are “View only,” to share a read-only link to the document, and “Public,” which makes the document publicly viewable and searchable. You will most commonly select “Edit” when collaborating with others. After making your selection, you can then click the “Create link” button to display a hyperlink in a field, which you can copy and send to anyone with whom you want to share an editable copy of the Word document. You can share the link via social media by clicking the desired social media sharing button below the link to share the link with people in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Weibo.
A picture of the “Get a link” screen within Microsoft Word Online.
