Can You Unshare a Google Doc?

Google Docs has become a widely used tool for creating and collaborating on documents online. It allows multiple users to work on a document simultaneously and has made sharing and accessing documents incredibly convenient. However, with the ease of sharing also comes the need for control and security. Many users may wonder – can you unshare a Google Doc?

Understanding Sharing Permissions in Google Docs

Before we delve into the answer to this question, it’s essential to understand how sharing permissions work in Google Docs. When you share a document, you can choose whether the recipient should have view-only access, comment access, or full editing access. The person can also be allowed to share the document further with others or not. These permissions can be modified at any time by the owner of the document.

Unsharing a Google Doc

Now, to answer the question – yes, you can unshare a Google Doc. There are two ways to do this – one way is to remove the specific user’s access, and the other is to change the sharing settings for the entire document.

To remove a user’s access, follow these simple steps:

1. Open the Google Doc and click on the blue ‘Share’ button on the top right corner of the screen.
2. In the ‘Share with People and Groups’ box, hover over the name or email of the person you want to unshare the document with.
3. Click on the ‘X’ symbol next to their name or email, and they will be removed from the list of users with access to the document.
4. Click on ‘Save’ to confirm the changes.

The user will no longer have access to the document, and their name will disappear from the list of collaborators. However, if they have the link to the document, they will still be able to access it, unless the link is also disabled.

The other way to unshare a Google Doc is to change the sharing settings for the entire document. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Google Doc and click on the blue ‘Share’ button on the top right corner of the screen.
2. In the ‘Share with People and Groups’ box, click on the ‘Advanced’ link in the bottom right corner of the box.
3. A new window will open, showing the document’s sharing settings. To make the document private, click on the drop-down menu next to the document’s link and select ‘Off – Specific people.’
4. Click on ‘Save’ to confirm the changes.

This will unshare the document with all users who had access to it, and they will no longer be able to view or edit it, regardless of whether they have a link or not.

FAQs

1. Can I unshare a Google Doc with multiple users at once?

Yes, you can remove multiple users’ access at once by selecting all the names or emails in the ‘Share with People and Groups’ box and clicking on the ‘X’ symbol next to one of them.

2. Can I still see a document after it has been unshared with me?

No, once you have been removed from the list of collaborators or the document’s sharing settings have been changed, you will no longer be able to view or edit the document. However, if you had previously made a copy or had downloaded the document, you can still access it from your Google Drive or computer.

3. Can I unshare a spreadsheet or presentation in the same way?

Yes, the process is the same for all types of documents in Google Docs – you can either remove specific users’ access or change the sharing settings for the entire document.

4. What happens to comments I have made on a Google Doc that has been unshared with me?

If the document has been unshared with you, your comments will no longer be visible to the owner or any other collaborators.

5. Is there a limit to the number of times I can unshare and reshare a Google Doc?

No, you can unshare and reshare a Google Doc as many times as you want, with the changes taking effect immediately.

In conclusion, yes, you can unshare a Google Doc. With the ability to control and modify sharing permissions at any time, Google Docs offers users the convenience and