How and Why Should You Make a Google Sheet Public

Making a Google Sheet public can have many benefits for both yourself & those viewing it. It can allow people to easily collaborate on projects or make information more accessible to the general public.

Justin Gluska

Updated October 6, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Making a Google Sheet public can have many benefits for both yourself & those viewing it. It can allow people to easily collaborate on projects or make information more accessible to the general public. Additionally, by making your sheet public you may also be able to increase its exposure and generate more leads or traffic. In this article, we will discuss how to make a Google Sheet public and some of the benefits that come with doing so.

What is Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a free online spreadsheet application that allows users to create and edit spreadsheets without the need for Microsoft Excel. The app is part of the Google Docs suite of productivity applications, which also includes Google Docs (a word processing application), Google Slides (a presentation application), and Google Forms (a survey tool).

Why Make a Google Sheet Public?

There are many reasons why you might want to make a Google Sheet public. For example, if you are working on a project with others, making the sheet public can allow anyone with the link to view and edit the spreadsheet. This can be extremely helpful when trying to collaborate on a project in real time, as it allows multiple people to work on the same sheet at the same time. If you have a huge team spread across multiple organizations, you can use a public Google Sheet as a way to keep everyone on the same page without having to individually add every email to have share access.

Additionally, making a Google Sheet public can also make it more accessible to the general public. For example, if you are a business owner, you may want to make your price list or product catalog public so that potential customers can easily view and compare your products.

How to make a Google Sheet Public

There are a few different ways that you can make a Google Sheet public. The first and most common method is to simply share the sheet with anyone who has the link. To do this, click on the "Share" button in the top-right corner of the sheet and then select the "Get shareable link" option. This will generate a link that anyone can use to access the sheet, without needing a Google account.

share google sheet to give edit access to anyone with the link

You can also embed the sheet on a website or blog so that it is visible to anyone who visits the site. To do this, search in the help tab for "Publish to the web" option and then select the "Embed" option. This will generate an HTML code snippet that you can copy and paste into your website or blog.

Risks of Making a Google Sheet Public

While there are many benefits to making a Google Sheet public, there are also some risks that you should be aware of. For example, if you make a sheet publicly editable without password-protecting it, anyone who has the link will be able to view and edit the sheet. This means that they could potentially delete or change important information. You also wouldn't know who did it since they're not signed in.

A smaller risk, but still a possibility, is if you embed a public Google Sheet on your website, it may slow down the loading time of your site as the sheet is loaded from Google's servers. This could frustrate visitors to your site and cause them to leave before they have a chance to see your sheets.

Conclusion

It is important to carefully consider the risks and benefits if you want to make a Google Sheet public before you do so. Weigh the risks and benefits to decide if it is the right decision for you. Although there are some risks involved, the benefits of increased collaboration and accessibility may be worth it for you. Google Sheets is an amazing resource and, when used correctly, can be a powerful tool for businesses and individuals alike.

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Written by Justin Gluska

Justin is the founder of Gold Penguin, a business technology blog that helps people start, grow, and scale their business using AI. The world is changing and he believes it's best to make use of the new technology that is starting to change the world. If it can help you make more money or save you time, he'll write about it!

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