{"id":321,"date":"2025-08-29T10:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/?page_id=321"},"modified":"2025-08-29T10:59:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:59:26","slug":"sharing-read-only-files","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/sharing-read-only-files\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing Read-Only Files"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-umflint-templates umflint-template-default\"><div class=\"wp-block-umflint-jumbotron jumbotron jumbotron-fluid jumbotron-page mb-3\" style=\"background-color: rgb(255,255,255);\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-secondary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4814dfdf636b34a87373db2c172ef384\">Sharing Read-Only Files<\/h1>\n\n<\/div>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"jumbotron-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-1536x1200.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www-s3.umflint.edu\/wp\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Blue.UCEN_-2048x1600.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" alt=\"\" \/>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container mb-2\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-3\">\n\t\t\t\n<button class=\"btn btn-section w-100 px-0 wp-menu-block-toggle mobile-nav-toggle d-none\" data-target=\"wp-menu-block-secondary-menu\">\n          <span class=\"h-100 mr-3 mt-1 d-block mobile-nav-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mb-1 transition bg-dark d-block mobile-nav-icon-line\"><\/span>\n\t\t  <\/span>\n          Accessibility<\/button><nav id=\"wp-menu-block-secondary-menu\" class=\"wp-menu-block sidebar-nav wp-block-umflint-menu-block\"><div class=\"nav-sidebar-title-container\">\n                <div class=\"nav-sidebar-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\">Accessibility<\/a><\/div>\n                <a class=\"nav-sidebar-title-close\" href=\"#\" data-target=\"secondary-menu\" aria-label=\"Close\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"50\" fill=\"currentColor\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                        <title>close<\/title><path d=\"M19,6.41L17.59,5L12,10.59L6.41,5L5,6.41L10.59,12L5,17.59L6.41,19L12,13.41L17.59,19L19,17.59L13.41,12L19,6.41Z\" \/>\n                    <\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n            <\/div><ul id=\"menu-secondary-menu\" class=\"menu nav nav-sidebar flex-column\"><li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-499\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-499 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Tools\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Tools<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-500\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-500 nav-item\"><a title=\"Grackle\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/grackle\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Grackle<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-501\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-501 nav-item\"><a title=\"Panorama\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/tools\/panorama\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Panorama<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-502\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-502 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Guides\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Guides<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-503\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-503 nav-item\"><a title=\"Adding Alt Text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/alt-text\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Adding Alt Text<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-504\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-504 nav-item\"><a title=\"Checking Captions for Kaltura Videos\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/kaltura-videos\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Checking Captions for Kaltura Videos<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-505\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-505 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Descriptive Links\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-descriptive-links\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Descriptive Links<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-506\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-506 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Presentations\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-presentations\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Presentations<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-507\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-507 nav-item\"><a title=\"Creating Accessible Tables\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-tables\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Creating Accessible Tables<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-508\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-508 nav-item\"><a title=\"Ensuring Basic Color Contrast for Accessibility\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/basic-color-contrast\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Ensuring Basic Color Contrast for Accessibility<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-509\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-509 nav-item\"><a title=\"Removing Redundant Links\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/removing-redundant-links\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Removing Redundant Links<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-510\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-510 nav-item\"><a title=\"Structuring Your Documents and Pages for Accessibility\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/structuring-your-documents\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Structuring Your Documents and Pages for Accessibility<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-511\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-511 nav-item\"><a title=\"Recent Email News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/recent-email-news\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Recent Email News<\/a><\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-512\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-512 nav-item\"><a title=\"Rethinking PDFs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Rethinking PDFs<\/a>\n<ul class=\"subitems-menu\" >\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-513\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-513 nav-item\"><a title=\"Converting a PDF to Word\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/converting\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Converting a PDF to Word<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-514\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-514 nav-item\"><a title=\"Myths and Paths Forward\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/myths-paths-forward\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Myths and Paths Forward<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-515\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-515 nav-item\"><a title=\"PDF Alternatives\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/alternatives\/\" class=\"nav-link\">PDF Alternatives<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-516\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-516 nav-item\"><a title=\"Sharing Read-Only Files\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/sharing-read-only-files\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Sharing Read-Only Files<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-517\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-517 nav-item\"><a title=\"Shortcomings and Frustrations of PDFs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/shortcomings-frustrations\/\" class=\"nav-link\">Shortcomings and Frustrations of PDFs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/www.schema.org\/SiteNavigationElement\" id=\"menu-item-548\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-548 nav-item\"><a title=\"Accessibility Standard Practice Guide (SPG)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/spg.umich.edu\/policy\/601.20\" class=\"nav-link\">Accessibility Standard Practice Guide (SPG)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/nav>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-9\">\n\t\t\t\n<nav aria-label=\"breadcrumb\"><ol class=\"breadcrumb mb-3\"><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"\/\">Home<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\">Accessibility<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/\">Rethinking PDFs: Building a Better Learning Environment<\/a><\/li><li class=\"breadcrumb-item active\" aria-current=\"page\">Sharing Read-Only Files<\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bace9f1fbff4804732055e1f048d58d6\">How to share a Google Workspace or Office 365 file as read only<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-62ff850f588e37320872a6be807f0a15\">Google Workspace<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Drive makes it simple to control your files while still giving your students and colleagues easy access. You can share any document, slide deck, or spreadsheet in a read-only mode so others can view it but not change it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 1: Open the File in Google Drive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.umich.edu\/\">Google Drive<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find and open the document, presentation, or spreadsheet you want to share.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 2: Open the Share Menu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the top-right corner, click the Share button.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 3: Get a Shareable Link<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the window that appears, look for the section labeled General access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the dropdown menu (it may say Restricted by default).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose University of Michigan (or Anyone with the link, depending on your needs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 4: Set Access to &#8220;Viewer&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Once you\u2019ve selected the audience, set the role to Viewer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This ensures that students and colleagues can see the file but cannot edit it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 5: Copy and Share the Link<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click the Copy link.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-descriptive-links\/\">Paste the link<\/a> in your <a href=\"https:\/\/canvas.flint.umich.edu\/\">Canvas course<\/a>, syllabus, email or any other location so your audience will always have access to the latest version.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-76d869c25490cc70e68bf2043d3a93fc\">Office 365<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As with Google Workspace, Office 365 offers the same option: you can share any Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file in read-only mode so others can view it but not change it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 1: Open the File in Office 365<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/umich-my.sharepoint.com\/\">OneDrive<\/a> and sign in with your University of Michigan account.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file you want to share.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 2: Open the Share Menu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the top-right corner, click the Share button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On the menu that opens, click the Share option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 3: Get a Shareable Link<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the window that appears, next to the \u2018Copy link\u2019 button click the link settings &#8216;gear&#8217; icon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose People in Umich (or Anyone, depending on your needs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 4: Set Access to &#8220;Can view&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Under More settings, make sure the permission is set to \u2018Can view\u2019.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click Apply in the bottom right corner of the window.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 5: Copy and Share the Link<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click the Copy link button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/guides\/creating-accessible-descriptive-links\/\">Paste the link<\/a> in your <a href=\"https:\/\/canvas.flint.umich.edu\/\">Canvas course<\/a>, syllabus, email or any other location so your audience will always have access to the latest version.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/rethinking-pdfs\/sharing-read-only-files\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"parent":315,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-321","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":350,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/321\/revisions\/350"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/accessibility\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}