File sharing and permissions in Google Sheets - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🎯 Scenario

intermediate

Sharing a Google Sheet with view-only access

You want to share a Google Sheet with a colleague so they can only view the data but not edit it. Which sharing setting should you choose?

A Give them 'Viewer' access

B Give them 'Editor' access

C Give them 'Commenter' access

D Make the file public on the web

💡 Hint

Think about the permission that allows seeing but not changing.

Giving 'Viewer' access lets someone see the file but not make any changes.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding permission levels in Google Sheets

Which permission level allows a user to add comments but not edit the content of a Google Sheet?

A Viewer

B Editor

C Owner

D Commenter

💡 Hint

This permission is between viewing and editing.

'Commenter' permission lets users add comments but not change the sheet data.

📊 Formula Result

advanced

Formula to check if a user has edit access

You have a list of email addresses in column A and their access levels in column B (values: 'Viewer', 'Commenter', 'Editor'). Which formula in cell C2 correctly returns TRUE if the user in A2 has 'Editor' access, and FALSE otherwise?

Google Sheets

=B2="Editor"

A =B2=Editor

B =B2="Editor"

C =IF(B2=Editor, TRUE, FALSE)

D =IF(B2="Editor", TRUE, FALSE)

💡 Hint

Check how text strings are compared in formulas.

Option B correctly compares the text in B2 to the string "Editor" and returns TRUE or FALSE.

❓ data_analysis

advanced

Counting users with edit access

Given a list of users' access levels in column B (cells B2:B20), which formula correctly counts how many users have 'Editor' access?

A =COUNTIF(B2:B20, "Editor")

B =COUNT(B2:B20, "Editor")

C =SUMIF(B2:B20, "Editor")

D =COUNTIFS(B2:B20, Editor)

💡 Hint

Look for the function that counts cells matching a condition.

COUNTIF(range, criteria) counts how many cells match the criteria. Option A is correct.

❓ Function Choice

expert

Automatically notify editors when a sheet is shared

You want to create a formula or function in Google Sheets that automatically lists email addresses of users with 'Editor' access from a table with emails in column A and access levels in column B. Which function is best to extract only the emails of editors?

A =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(B2:B20="Editor", A2:A20, ""))

B =VLOOKUP("Editor", B2:B20, 1, FALSE)

C =FILTER(A2:A20, B2:B20="Editor")

D =QUERY(A2:B20, "SELECT A WHERE B='Editor'")

💡 Hint

Think about a function that filters rows based on a condition.

FILTER returns only the emails where the access level is 'Editor'. QUERY also works but requires more syntax; FILTER is simpler and direct.

Practice

1.

What does the 'Viewer' permission allow someone to do in a shared Google Sheet?

easy

A. They can only see the sheet but cannot make changes.

B. They can edit the sheet and add new data.

C. They can comment but not edit the sheet.

D. They can delete the sheet entirely.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Viewer permission

   The Viewer permission allows users to open and see the sheet but not change anything.

2. Step 2: Compare with other permissions

   Editors can change data, Commenters can add comments, but Viewers cannot do either.

3. Final Answer:

   They can only see the sheet but cannot make changes. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Viewer = View only [OK]

Hint: Viewer means view only, no edits allowed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Viewer with Editor permission
• Thinking Viewer can comment
• Assuming Viewer can delete content

2.

Which of these is the correct way to share a Google Sheet with edit permission?

Choose the correct step.

easy

A. Click 'Share', enter email, select 'Editor', then send.

B. Click 'File', then 'Download' to share with edit permission.

C. Click 'Share', enter email, select 'Viewer', then send.

D. Right-click the sheet tab and choose 'Share with edit'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Open Share dialog

   Click the 'Share' button in the top right corner of the Google Sheet.

2. Step 2: Set permission to Editor

   Enter the person's email and choose 'Editor' to allow editing, then send the invite.

3. Final Answer:

   Click 'Share', enter email, select 'Editor', then send. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Share + Editor = Edit access [OK]

Hint: Use 'Share' button and pick Editor for edit rights [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Selecting Viewer instead of Editor
• Trying to share via File > Download
• Looking for share option in sheet tab menu

3.

You shared a Google Sheet with someone as a 'Commenter'. What can they do?

Choose the correct output of their permissions.

medium

A. They can edit cells and add new data.

B. They can only view and add comments, but not edit cells.

C. They can delete the sheet.

D. They cannot open the sheet at all.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Commenter permission

   Commenters can open the sheet, view all data, and add comments but cannot change cell values.

2. Step 2: Compare with other permissions

   Editors can change data, Viewers can only see, Commenters can comment but not edit.

3. Final Answer:

   They can only view and add comments, but not edit cells. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Commenter = View + Comment only [OK]

Hint: Commenter means view plus comment, no edits [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Commenter can edit cells
• Confusing Commenter with Viewer
• Assuming Commenter can delete content

4.

You shared a Google Sheet with edit permission but the person says they cannot make changes. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. You must share the sheet via email attachment.

B. They need to refresh the sheet to see edit options.

C. Google Sheets does not allow editing by shared users.

D. You accidentally gave them Viewer permission instead of Editor.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check permission level

   If the person cannot edit, likely they have Viewer or Commenter permission, not Editor.

2. Step 2: Confirm sharing settings

   Verify in the Share dialog that the person is set as Editor to allow changes.

3. Final Answer:

   You accidentally gave them Viewer permission instead of Editor. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Viewer ≠ Edit access [OK]

Hint: Check if permission is Editor, not Viewer [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming refresh fixes permission issues
• Believing Google Sheets blocks all edits by shared users
• Thinking sharing via email attachment controls permissions

5.

You want to share a Google Sheet with a team but only allow some people to edit and others to only comment. How do you set this up?

Choose the best approach.

hard

A. Share the sheet once, set all to Editor, then ask some not to edit.

B. Download the sheet and email different versions with different permissions.

C. Share the sheet separately with each person, assigning Editor or Commenter permission accordingly.

D. Set the sheet to public and rely on users to self-restrict editing.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand permission assignment

   Google Sheets allows setting different permissions per person when sharing.

2. Step 2: Share individually with correct permissions

   Share the sheet with each team member's email and assign Editor or Commenter as needed.

3. Step 3: Avoid unsafe sharing methods

   Do not rely on public sharing or asking users to self-restrict; this risks unwanted edits.

4. Final Answer:

   Share the sheet separately with each person, assigning Editor or Commenter permission accordingly. -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Individual sharing = correct permission control [OK]

Hint: Share individually with correct Editor or Commenter roles [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Giving all users Editor permission
• Relying on public sharing for control
• Sending downloaded copies instead of sharing live sheet