Collaborating and sharing in Proton Sheets

Proton Sheets makes it easy to collaborate securely, whether you’re teaming up internally or sharing files externally. This guide covers the tools that help you stay in control while working together.

• Collaborate in real time
• Share a spreadsheet
  • Share via email
  • Create a public link
  • Share via email and create a public link
• View shared spreadsheets and revoke access
  • See what you’ve shared
  • Track views and downloads
  • Review what’s been shared with you
• View and restore version history
• What next?

Collaborate in real time

When someone else opens the spreadsheet, their edits appear instantly as they type, and their name appears in the top-right corner.

Each collaborator has a unique cursor with their name, so you can follow their activity in real time.

You can right-click any cell and select Insert note to leave a comment or message for others. Hovering over the cell reveals the note.

No need to save — changes and notes sync instantly across all collaborators.

Your data stays encrypted, even during collaboration. Only people you’ve shared the file with can see or edit it — not even Proton.

Share a spreadsheet

Here’s how you can share a spreadsheet in Proton Sheets:

Share via email

1. Click the Share button in the top-right corner.
2. Under Add people or groups to share, enter the email address of each person or group you want to share with.
3. Set their permission level to Editor (can make changes to the spreadsheet) or Viewer (can only view the spreadsheet).
4. Optionally, you can write a message to include in the email invite.
5. Click Share.

Each person will receive an email notification. They’ll need a Proton Account to access the spreadsheet. After clicking Accept item, the file will appear in their Shared with me tab for quick access.

Create a public link

1. In the same Share panel, toggle Create public link.

2. Set the access level to Editor (can make changes to the spreadsheet) or Viewer (can only view the spreadsheet) for anyone with the link.
3. Optionally, click ⚙ in the top-right corner for more settings. You can set a link password and expiration date. Then click Save changes.

4. Click the copy button next to the public link to copy it and share it manually.

People accessing your spreadsheet via a public link don’t need a Proton Account.

Share via email and create a public link

Proton Sheets gives you fine-grained control over who can view or edit your spreadsheet by allowing you to combine both sharing options. For example, you can:

• Give edit access to your team via email.
• Share a view-only public link with clients.
• Use different permissions for each person or group via email.

View shared spreadsheets and revoke access

You can manage all your shared spreadsheets directly from the Proton Drive web app:

See what you’ve shared

1. Go to the Shared tab in the left sidebar to view every file and folder you’ve shared with others in one place.

2. Select a spreadsheet and click the share button to manage access.
3. From there, you can:
   • Change or remove access for individual people or groups by clicking their email and adjusting permissions or selecting Remove access.
   • Disable the public link by toggling off Create public link. This instantly deactivates the URL, so anyone with the link will no longer be able to open the spreadsheet.

Track views and downloads

In the Shared tab, you can also monitor how many times each shared file has been accessed. The # of downloads column shows the total number of times a spreadsheet (or any file) has been opened or downloaded.

You can also sort by total downloads to quickly see which spreadsheets are most frequently accessed. This can help you understand engagement with your shared content. For example:

• See which spreadsheets your team accesses most often.
• Confirm that a client or collaborator has opened a shared report.
• Spot outdated or unused links that you can safely revoke.

Note: Because views and downloads are counted together, a high number doesn’t always mean people have saved local copies — it simply shows that the shared link has been accessed frequently.

Review what’s been shared with you

1. Go to the Shared with me tab to see files others have shared with your Proton Account.
2. If you no longer need access to a spreadsheet, right-click it and select Remove me to clear it from your view.

Removing yourself from a shared item doesn’t delete the file — it simply removes your access and hides it from your Proton Drive.

View and restore version history

When you’re collaborating — or even just working solo — it’s helpful to see how your spreadsheet has changed over time. Proton Sheets automatically saves version history up to 10 years, so you can review or restore earlier edits.

To access version history:

1. Open your spreadsheet.
2. Click the spreadsheet name in the top-left corner and select See version history.

3. Browse the history and select a version. Then, you can choose:
   • Make a copy creates a new spreadsheet using the selected version, without affecting the current one. If you’re unsure, choose this option to keep your current version safe.
   • Restore this version replaces the current spreadsheet with the selected version, but older versions are still preserved in the history and can be restored later.

What next?

If you’re new to Proton Sheets, check out our getting started guide to learn the basics.