> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.4thewords.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sharing & Collaboration

> Share a file or a whole project with friends, choose who can edit, and co-write together in real time.

Writing doesn't have to be a solo quest. Share a file or a whole project with your friends so they can read along, leave notes, or write right beside you. Everyone sees changes as they happen, and every word you write still counts toward your own battles and streak.

> **Where to find it:** Open any file → **Share document** icon in the header, or file actions menu (**⋯**) → **Share file** [Open in 4TW ↗](https://app.4thewords.com/writing/files)

## Who you can share with

You can share with your **Friends** on 4thewords. Add a fellow Dust Warrior as a friend and they'll show up in the share window. See [Friends & Chat](/community/friends-and-chat) to add friends.

Sharing is part of our paid plans. Each plan lets you add a set number of collaborators to every file or project. See [Plans & Pricing](/account/plans-and-pricing).

## Sharing a file

1. **Open the share window.** In the editor, click the **Share document** icon. Or choose **Share file** from the **⋯** menu on the file's card.
2. **Find your friend.** Search for their username and click **Add**.
3. **Pick a role.** Choose **Editor** or **Viewer** next to their name. New collaborators start as Editors.

Your friend gets a notification with a button to open the file right away.

## Sharing a project

Share a whole project and your collaborators get every file inside it, including files you add later.

1. **Open the project menu.** Click **⋯** on the project's card and choose **Share project**. Or open the project and click **Invite** on its **Collaborators** card.
2. **Add your friends** and pick their roles, just like sharing a file.

Project collaborators open the project's files with the role you give them. Only you can change the project's settings, like its cover and publish status.

<Note>
  A file inside a shared project takes its collaborators from the project, so manage access from the project. To share a project that holds files with their own collaborators, remove those collaborators from the files first.
</Note>

## Roles

| Role       | What they can do                                                                               |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Owner**  | Everything, including inviting people, changing roles, and removing collaborators. That's you. |
| **Editor** | Write, create, edit, and delete pages, and add comments                                        |
| **Viewer** | Read the file, switch between pages, and leave comments                                        |

**Changing a role.** Open the share window and pick a new role next to their name. They see the change right away.

**Removing someone.** Click the **X** next to their name and confirm with **Remove**. They lose access right away and get a notification.

## Writing together

When a collaborator has the file open, their avatar appears in the editor header. Click it to jump to where they're writing.

* **Everyone has a color.** Each person's cursor and avatar share a color. Hover over a cursor to see whose it is.
* **Each page is its own space.** Write on one page while a friend writes on another.
* **The connection dot.** Next to the avatars, **Live** (green) means you're all in step, **Syncing** (yellow) means changes are catching up, and **Offline** (red) means editing is paused.

<Warning>
  If your connection drops, or 4thewords can't reach the shared file, editing pauses until everything's back. That way, nobody writes words that can't be saved.
</Warning>

You can't delete a page while someone else is writing on it. If the owner restores an earlier [version](/writing/documents-and-editor/file-versions), everyone sees **Document updated**.

## How words count

* **Your words are yours.** The words you type count toward your own battles, daily words, streak, and account goal. Your collaborators' words count toward theirs.
* **File and project goals belong to the owner.** Every word written in a shared file counts toward the owner's goal for that file or project, whoever wrote it.
* **Celebrate together.** When a shared goal is reached, the owner and every Editor get a notification.

Only the owner can set or change goals on a shared file or project.

<Tip>
  Co-writing during a [co-op battle](/writing/writing-battles/co-op-battles)? Open the shared file together and write. Every word each of you types hits the monster.
</Tip>

## Finding files shared with you

* **Files and Projects.** Open **Files** → **Shared** or **Projects** → **Shared** to see everything you share and everything shared with you. Use the **Sharing** filter to show **Shared by me** or **Shared with me**.
* **The file tree.** The **Shared** tab groups files and projects into **Shared with me** and **Shared by me**.
* **Writing Home.** The **Jump back in** card has a **Shared with you** tab.

Each card shows your role: **owner**, **editor**, or **viewer**. Files shared with you don't have a **⋯** menu on their cards, because only the owner can rename, move, or archive them.

## If the owner's plan changes

Each plan covers a set number of collaborators. If a file has more collaborators than the owner's plan covers, collaborators can read but not edit, and the file shows a **Locked** badge. Editing comes back when the owner upgrades or removes enough collaborators.

## Notifications

* **Shared with you.** A friend shared a document or project with you, and your role.
* **Access removed.** The owner removed you, or archived or deleted the file or project.
* **Role changed.** A quick message pops up when you become an Editor or a Viewer.

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I share with someone who isn't my friend on 4thewords?">
    Send them a friend request first. Once they accept, you can share with them.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I share a file by email or with a link?">
    Sharing works between friends on 4thewords. To let anyone read your work, [publish a project](/community/reading-and-publishing).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I leave a file someone shared with me?">
    Ask the owner to remove you. Only the owner can remove collaborators.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a paid plan to write in a file someone shared with me?">
    No. The owner's plan covers the collaborators. You can join as an Editor or Viewer on any plan.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I move a shared file into another shared project?">
    Each file takes its collaborators from one place: the file itself or its project. Remove the file's collaborators first, then move it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use my own editor settings in a shared file?">
    Yes, for font, size, colors, and margins. The typing helpers (smart typography, auto-linking, and the slash menu) stay on for everyone in a shared file. See [Editor Settings](/writing/documents-and-editor/editor-settings).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You can't open a file that was shared with you.">
    The owner removed you, archived the file, or deleted it. Your notifications say which. If you think it was a mistake, reach out to the owner.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A shared file says Locked.">
    The owner's plan covers fewer collaborators than the file has. Editing comes back when the owner upgrades or removes collaborators.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

**Better together**

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card icon="comments" href="/writing/documents-and-editor/comments" title="Comments">
    Leave notes on your text and talk it through with collaborators.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="user-group" href="/community/friends-and-chat" title="Friends & Chat">
    Add friends so you can share with them.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="book-open" href="/community/reading-and-publishing" title="Reading & Publishing">
    Publish a project for every Dust Warrior to read.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>