Share a “Forced Copy” Rather Than the Original

A Guest Post by Erin Whalen

When you share a Doc or other Drive item with someone, you generally give them access to edit or view the item. You can also share it in a way that requires them to make a copy. This way they have a copy to use at their discretion and you still have your original. “Forced Copy” is a great tool for when you’re sharing something with a large audience rather than just a few people who will work on the Doc with you. Maybe you have a great lesson plan template and your principal asks you to share it with your colleagues. This would be a great way to do so. And it’s so simple!

When you click on “Shareable Link” the link will have “edit” as the last four letters. Simply change “edit” to “copy” and then send the link to your audience.

Instead of sending this:

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/***/edit

Send this:

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/***/copy

And the recipients will see a page like this:

Erin Whalen is a former teacher and principal, now working in professional development to support and encourage teachers. You can find her on Twitter @e_whalen.