About collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

Invite others to your documents and work on them together in real time. Collaboration is built into the iWork apps on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and iCloud.com.

Get started with collaboration

You can use iWork collaboration on these devices: 

  • A Mac with macOS Sierra and Pages 6.1, Numbers 4.1, or Keynote 7.1 or later
  • An iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 10 and Pages 3.1, Numbers 3.1, or Keynote 3.1 or later
  • A Mac with Safari 9 or later, or Google Chrome 50 or later
  • A Windows PC with Internet Explorer 11 or later, or Google Chrome 50 or later

To invite others to collaborate, sign in to iCloud on your device and turn on iCloud Drive. If you use a web browser, sign in to iCloud.com and open the iWork app that you want to use. 

If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with earlier versions of iOS or iWork apps, or if you have an Android device, you can view documents but not edit them. 

If you use Pages, Numbers, or Keynote and collaboration isn't available, you might need to update your apps on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac. Turn on automatic updates so that your apps always stay up to date.

If you want to send a copy of the document, you can send it without collaborating. On your Mac, go to Share > Send a Copy. To add a shortcut to the toolbar, Control-click the toolbar, then select Customize Toolbar. Drag the Send a Copy item into the toolbar.  On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap  > Send a Copy. On iCloud.com, click  > Send a Copy.

Invite others

Collaborate

Features

Stop sharing

Invite others to collaborate

When you invite people to collaborate on a document, spreadsheet, or presentation, the app creates an iCloud.com link for you to send to them. If you limit access so that only people you invite can collaborate on your document, they must sign in to iCloud or iCloud.com with their Apple ID.    

The name of the document is included in the URL. If the title or content of the document is confidential, make sure to ask participants not to forward the link to anyone else. 

Invite other people from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. If your document is already open in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote,  tap , then tap Collaborate With Others. If you're in the Document Manager, tap ,  then tap Collaborate With Others. Tap the document you want to share. If the document you select hasn't downloaded to your device, it downloads now.
  2. By default, people that you invite can edit your document. You can change share options and limit who can access it. Learn about these settings. If you set Who Can Access to "Anyone with the link," and you want to add a password, tap Add Password. Type your password and hint. You and other participants need this password to open the document.
  3. Tap Add People.
  4. Tap your preferred method for sending the link. If you choose to email your invitation, type an email address or phone number for each person that you want to invite.
  5. Add any other information, then send or post the message.

This icon  indicates that a document is shared. The checkmark changes to show how many people have the document open (not including you).

Invite other people from your Mac

  1. From Pages, Numbers, or Keynote, open the document that you want to share.
  2. In the toolbar, click  .
  3. By default, people that you invite can edit your document. You can change share options and limit who can access it. Learn about these settings. If you set Who Can Access to "Anyone with the link" and you want to add a password, click Add Password. Type your password and hint. You and other participants need this password to open the document.
  4. Choose how you want to invite others to work on your document. If you choose to email your invitation, type an email address or phone number for each person that you want to invite.
  5. Add any other information, then send or post the message.

This icon  indicates that a document is shared. The checkmark changes to show how many people have the document open (not including you).

Invite other people from iCloud.com

  1. If your document is already open in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote for iCloud, click  in the toolbar. If you're in the Document Manager, select a document, then click . Choose Collaborate With Others.
  2. By default, people that you invite can edit your document. You can change share options and limit who can access it. Learn about these settings. Choose how you want to invite others to work on your documents. If you have web-only iCloud access, you must copy the link. 
  3. Click Share.

This icon  indicates that a document is shared. The checkmark changes to show how many people have the document open (not including you).

Who can view and edit your document

When you invite others to collaborate on your document, you can set restrictions on who can view and make changes to your document.

In the Who Can Access menu:

  • Choose "Only people you invite" if you want only specific participants to access the document. To open it, those participants must sign in to iCloud or iCloud.com with an Apple ID. If they don't have an Apple ID, they can create an Apple ID after you share the document with them.
  • Choose "Anyone with the link" if you want anyone who has the link to the shared document to be able to open it.

In the Permissions menu: 

  • Choose "Can make changes" if you want anyone who can access the document to be able to edit and print it.
  • Choose "View only" if you want anyone who can access the document to be able to view and print, but not edit it. 

To change share options at any time, click or tap the Collaborate button, then choose Share Options.

Collaborate on a shared document

You can see the edits that others make in real time, hide or show editing activity, and more.

See who's working on the document

Tap or click  to open the participant list. You can see who has joined the document, and who is currently editing or viewing it.

Follow someone's edits

Edits that you and others make to the document appear in real time. Look for colored cursors and colored selections of text and objects to see what others are currently editing. Tap or click the colored dot next to the person's name in the participant list to jump to their cursor. If you don't see a colored dot, that person has the document open, but isn't editing.

Hide or Show collaboration activity

You can hide or show collaboration activity at any time.

  • On your Mac, choose View > Hide Collaboration Activity. Or choose View > Show Collaboration Activity.
  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap , then turn Collaboration Activity on or off.
  • On iCloud.com on a Mac or PC, click  in the toolbar, then choose Hide Collaboration Activity or Show Collaboration Activity.

Edit when you're offline

On Mac and iOS, you can open a shared document only when your device is connected to the Internet. If it isn't connected, or if you go offline while collaborating, the app displays an alert asking if you’d like to work on an offline copy of the document. 

If you go offline while collaborating from iCloud.com, your changes won't appear for others until you reconnect to the Internet.

Language and region settings

Your document’s language and region settings match the system language and region setting of your device at the time that you invited others to collaborate. You can't use customized region formatting when you invite others to work on your document.

To update these settings, turn off collaboration, make your changes, then share the document again. Learn more about features that are supported when you collaborate.

Features that are supported when you collaborate

When you collaborate with others, you have access to all of the features of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote with some exceptions. 

If you need to use one of these features on Mac or iOS, stop sharing the document, make your changes, then share the document again. When you stop sharing, the document is removed from iCloud Drive for all participants. If you set Who Can Access to "Only people you invite," you will need to re-invite everyone after.

These features aren't currently available when you collaborate with other participants:

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

  • Edit objects inside groups
  • Add or edit media files that are larger than 50 MB1
  • Replace All (in Find & Replace)
  • Reduce File Size (File > Advanced > Reduce File Size)
  • Drag rows and columns between body and header areas in tables
  • Create, delete, or reorder styles
  • Edit with Ruby in Asian languages
  • Change document locale or use custom region formats
  • Some volatile functions, such as TODAY() and NOW(), won't update automatically when a shared document is opened. This might prevent conditional highlighting on table cells from updating until after the document is edited.
  • Create or edit custom cell formats

1On iCloud.com, you can only add images up to 10 MB.

Pages

  • Insert and edit tables of contents
  • Adjust footnote settings
  • Insert, cut, copy, paste, delete, duplicate, reorder, or edit sections
  • Adjust document and section settings
  • Adjust EndNote settings
  • Add and edit master objects 
  • Insert date and time smart fields
  • Convert Word Processing documents to Page Layout documents and vice versa  
  • Edit page number settings 
  • Adjust margins
  • Use change tracking1

1Change tracking is supported on Mac and iOS only. If you're use iCloud.com, and change tracking is turned on, you can view the document, but not edit it.

Numbers

  • Create or edit forms on iOS
  • Insert smart fields
  • Copy or paste table styles
  • Transpose tables
  • Duplicate sheets
  • Cut, copy, or paste sheets
  • Adjust Print Preview settings

Keynote

  • Change slide size 
  • Add, view, or edit master slides 
  • Reapply master to slides or objects 
  • Change theme 
  • Record a slideshow or play a previously recorded slideshow 
  • Add or edit a soundtrack 
  • Edit presenter notes while you play a slideshow
  • Clear a soundtrack or delete tracks
  • Clear an existing recording of a slideshow
     

Stop sharing a document

When you scroll through the Document Manager, you will see a green badge on any share document. Open the document, then tap or click  > Stop Sharing, then tap or click OK.1

When you stop sharing, the document is removed from iCloud Drive for all participants. If you re-share the document later, the link will remain the same. If you set Who Can Access to "Only people you invite," you will need to re-invite participants.

1If others are editing the document, the collaboration icon might have a number rather than a checkmark.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Risks are inherent in the use of the Internet. Contact the vendor for additional information. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Published Date: