File sharing and permissions in Google Sheets - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are an IT support specialist at a mid-sized company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants a clear report showing which employees have access to which shared files and their permission levels.

📊 Data: You have a list of shared files, employee names, and their permission levels (View, Comment, Edit).

🎯 Deliverable: Create a spreadsheet that organizes this data and highlights employees with Edit permissions for quick review.

Sample Data

File Name	Employee	Permission
Project Plan	Alice	Edit
Project Plan	Bob	View
Budget	Charlie	Comment
Budget	Alice	View
Meeting Notes	Bob	Edit
Meeting Notes	David	View
Design Doc	Charlie	Edit
Design Doc	David	Comment

1

Step 1: Sort the data by File Name and then by Employee to organize the list.

Select all data, then use Data > Sort range: first by 'File Name' A-Z, then by 'Employee' A-Z.

Expected Result

Data rows are ordered alphabetically by File Name and Employee.

2

Step 2: Create a new column named 'Edit Access' to mark employees with Edit permission.

In cell D2, enter formula: =IF(C2="Edit", "Yes", "No") and copy down.

Expected Result

Column D shows 'Yes' for rows where Permission is Edit, otherwise 'No'.

3

Step 3: Apply conditional formatting to highlight rows where 'Edit Access' is 'Yes'.

Select all data rows, then Format > Conditional formatting, Custom formula: =$D2="Yes", set fill color light green.

Expected Result

Rows with Edit permission are highlighted in light green.

4

Step 4: Create a summary table showing each employee and the count of files they can Edit.

List unique employees in column F starting F2. In G2 enter: =COUNTIFS(B:B,F2,C:C,"Edit") and copy down.

Expected Result

Summary table shows each employee with the number of files they can edit.

5

Step 5: Sort the summary table by the count of Edit permissions in descending order.

Select summary table, then Data > Sort range by column G, Z -> A.

Expected Result

Employees with most Edit permissions appear at the top.

Final Result

File Name     Employee    Permission   Edit Access
--------------------------------------------------
Budget       Alice       View         No
Budget       Charlie     Comment      No
Design Doc   Charlie     Edit         Yes
Design Doc   David       Comment      No
Meeting Notes Bob        Edit         Yes
Meeting Notes David       View         No
Project Plan Alice       Edit         Yes
Project Plan Bob         View         No

Summary Table:
Employee    Edit Files Count
----------------------------
Alice       2
Bob         1
Charlie     1
David       0

✓Alice has Edit access to 2 files, the most among employees.

✓Bob and Charlie each have Edit access to 1 file.

✓David does not have Edit access to any files.

✓Highlighting helps quickly identify who can edit files.

Bonus Challenge

Create a filter view that shows only employees with Edit permissions and their files.

Show Hint

Use Data > Filter views, then filter the 'Edit Access' column to show only 'Yes'.

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