Use Google Spreadsheets to Collaborate on Excel Worksheets

August 18, 2006

On today's episode of Call for Help, an unusual tip for Excel. Excel is a great spreadsheet program. However, it does a lousy job of sharing spreadsheets. If you turn on sharing, then a whole host of features become disabled in Excel.

The new Google Spreadsheet does not have many features, but it does allow two people to collaborate on the same spreadsheet at the same time.

To get started, go to Google Sheets.

After you sign up, you will have a simple online spreadsheet. It can accommodate up to 10,000 cells. There is not support for charting, pivot tables, or VBA. The real power, though, is the ability to share the spreadsheet in real time with another person.

To begin sharing, click the Share This Spreadsheet link in the upper right.

Invite others to edit the spreadsheet.

You will then be able to simultaneously work on the spreadsheet.

When you are finished, you can download the spreadsheet back to your computer as an .xls file.

Google Spreadsheets are a great way to collaborate on smaller Excel workbooks.