Quick Start Guide: Collaborating and Sharing in Office 365

1️⃣ Access Your Office 365 Files 

1. Go to https://office.com and sign in. 
2. Click on OneDrive or any Office app (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 
3. Open the document you want to share or collaborate on. 

 2️⃣ Share a Document 

From within a document: 

1. Click the Share button in the upper-right corner. 

2. In the sharing window: 
   - Enter email addresses of people to share with. 
   - Choose permissions: 

• Can edit – Allow others to make changes. 

• Can Review – Suggest Changes. 

• Can view – View only. 

• Can’t download – Can view, but not download. 

• (Optional) Add a message. 

 3. Click Send. 

From OneDrive: 

1. Right-click a file > Share. 

2. Configure permissions and send the link. ​​​​​​​

3️⃣ Set or Modify Link Permissions 

When sharing: 
- People you specify can view/edit. 
- Choose from: 
  - Anyone with the link (Public) 
  - People in [Your Organization] 
  - People with existing access 
  - Specific people 
- When using the Gear icon you can also turn editing on/off or set an expiration date or password if needed. 

4️⃣ Collaborate in Real Time 

1. Open the shared document. 
2. Others can open the file and edit simultaneously. 
3. You’ll see their initials or names at the top. 
4. Changes appear in real time; no need to “save.” 

📝 Tips: 

- Use Comments to leave notes: 
  Go to Review > New Comment or right-click in the document. 
- Use @mentions to tag colleagues and notify them. 

5️⃣ Co-authoring in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 

✅ Supported in Word, Excel, PowerPoint (Web/Desktop) 
✅ Files must be saved in OneDrive or SharePoint 

Best Practices: 

- Avoid simultaneous edits in the same cell (Excel). 
- Use version history (File > Version History) to review or restore prior versions. 

6️⃣ Use Teams for Integrated Collaboration 

• Open or upload your file to Microsoft Teams. 

 • Click Edit in Teams or Open in Browser. 

• Collaborate and chat simultaneously in the Teams interface. 

• Navigate to your desired Teams chat. 

• Click the + (Add a tab) button. 

• Select desired application. In this example we will use Word. Note that you can use the search bar at the top to search for your desired application. 

• Navigate to the desired file you wish to collaborate on through Teams chat using the menu on the left side. Note the folder is my files in one drive. Then click Save. You can leave the check mark to Post to the chat about this tab to alert your team. 

• You will now see the selected file as a tab in the chat. The file in this example is entitled: --- 

• You can now work on the selected file in the Teams chat window. 

 

7️⃣ Track Changes and Comments (Word Only) 

1. Go to Review > Track Changes. 
   2. All edits will be marked. 

 3. Resolve or reply to comments in line. You can also Accept or reject all changes. 

8️⃣ Version Control 

1. Go to File > Info > Version History. 

 2. See a list of past versions. 

 3. Open or Restore previous versions if needed. 

 
🔚 Summary 

Feature	Where to Find It
Share File	Share button / OneDrive context menu
Set Permissions	Share > Link Settings
Real-time Co-author	Open shared file in Office Web/Desktop
Comments & Mentions	Review tab or right-click > Comment
Track Changes (Word)	Review > Track Changes
Version History	File > Info > Version History
Teams Collaboration	Upload or open file in Teams

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