Share a canvas

Share a canvas when someone needs to view, comment on, edit, or review work inside ALLO. Sharing is not just copying a URL. The important part is choosing the right permission so people can do their job without accidentally changing work they should only review.

Canvas access can come from more than one place. A person may be able to open the canvas because they are a workspace member, project collaborator, direct canvas collaborator, external collaborator, or guest with a share link. When you review access, think about the canvas itself and the project or workspace around it. Removing one access path may not remove every path.

Where to share

Open the canvas and choose Share in the header. The share dialog can include Share, Embed, and Export tabs depending on canvas type, workspace settings, and context. Some canvas types or templates hide tabs that do not apply. If only one tab applies, ALLO shows it without the tab bar.

The Share tab is the permission surface. Use it to invite people, review current collaborators, turn link sharing on or off, choose link permission, copy the generated share link, show a QR code when available, and review the status text for the current link.

Guests do not see the normal Share control. If a guest needs someone else added, a workspace member or canvas owner should handle that from Share.

Share, Embed, and Export do different jobs

These three tabs are output choices, not three versions of the same link.

Use Share when people need access to the live canvas in ALLO. Share controls who can view, comment, edit, enter as a guest, or open a link. If someone needs to keep working, leave feedback, or see later updates, start here.

Use Embed when a page canvas should appear live inside another website or page. ALLO generates iframe code from an embed link and shows a preview when the current canvas supports it. Embedded canvases depend on the generated embed/share link, the destination website, and browser iframe behavior. If the link is renewed, disabled, or expires, existing embeds that use the old link can stop working.

Use Export when someone needs a static PDF file. Export does not grant live canvas access. It creates a PDF that can be emailed, downloaded, attached, archived, or forwarded outside ALLO. After a PDF leaves ALLO, canvas permission changes do not pull back that copy. See Export a canvas to PDF for page range, quality, delivery, and access caveats.

Freeform whiteboards can show fewer output options. Sharing can remain available because access still applies, while Embed and Export require the page structure those outputs need.

Permission levels

Workspace and project roles can also affect what a person can do. If project membership already grants access, the canvas share dialog may not be the only permission path; see Manage canvases in projects for project-level canvas access.

Use the permission screen as the source of truth before sending a link outside your team. A private link can still fail for someone who is not invited, while a share link is designed for people who need access from outside the current membership boundary.

Invite people directly

Use the invite field to add workspace members, current collaborators, or email addresses. Suggestions prefer active workspace members and existing collaborators when available. Deactivated users are excluded from suggestions so you do not accidentally invite someone who cannot participate.

Choose the permission before sending the invite. Use Cmd+Enter on Mac or Ctrl+Enter on Windows and Linux to send when the dialog supports the shortcut. Press Escape to close the dialog.

If you invite an email address that does not belong to a workspace member, the person may enter through a guest or external-collaboration flow depending on workspace settings and link permissions.

Share a link

Use link sharing when the access should not depend on typing every recipient. Enable or generate the link, choose the link permission, then copy it. The share dialog can also show a QR option when available, useful for workshops, classrooms, and in-room collaboration.

Link permission matters. A view-only link is good for readouts. A comment link is good for feedback rounds. An edit link lets recipients change the canvas, so use it only when everyone with the link is allowed to edit.

Share links are different from page, object, and comment links copied inside the canvas. Share links help with access. Precise copied links help someone land in the right place after access exists. See Private links and share links in Canvas for the full distinction.

ALLO can remember a preferred link permission during link setup and may adjust if the server returns a different allowed permission. If the permission shown after link creation differs from what you expected, trust the final visible setting and change it deliberately if you have permission.

If you turn link sharing off, the copied share link should no longer be treated as a working access path. If you renew or reset a share link, send the new link to people who still need access. Old links can stop working after a renewal.

Manage members

Use member management to review who has access and what role they have. Remove people who no longer need access, lower permissions after a review is complete, and check external collaborators before sharing sensitive work. See Manage Canvas members for the full member-management workflow, including direct invites, guest and external collaborators, link-based access, and read-only member rows.

If someone can access the canvas through a project or workspace role, removing a direct canvas invite may not remove every access path. Check project membership when access still exists after removing a canvas-level collaborator.

If a canvas is inside a shared project, project access can make someone a collaborator on the canvas even when they were not invited from the canvas Share dialog. If a person should access only one canvas, share the canvas directly instead of inviting them into a broader project.

Share with guests

Guests can open a shared canvas through a guest entry flow when the canvas allows it. They may see a preview, enter a name, and continue as a guest before the full editor loads. Guests do not see every owner control, and some actions such as Share, Present, template management, sub-canvas creation, and thread moderation are restricted.

Use Guest collaboration when sharing outside the workspace. If the guest needs to edit, choose an edit-capable permission. If they only need to review, choose comment access.

External collaboration is broader than the guest entry screen. A person outside the workspace can be invited to a canvas or project without becoming a full workspace member. Their permissions should still be managed from the shared item, not from People.

Use a Canvas PIN or passcode

When your workspace supports it and you have permission, use Manage Canvas PIN from the canvas header menu to add or manage PIN-style access protection. This is separate from choosing view, comment, or edit permission. A PIN can protect entry, but the person's role still determines what they can do after entry.

If someone reports a password or PIN error, confirm they have the latest link, the right PIN, and access permission. Password failures keep people in the entry flow instead of opening the full canvas.

A PIN or passcode is not a replacement for permission. It can protect entry, but it does not decide whether a person can view, comment, edit, export, or change access after entry. See Use a Canvas PIN or passcode for setup, ownership, guest entry, and troubleshooting details.

Share exact locations

Use Copy page link from the Page menu, Copy link from the Element menu, or Copy comment link from Comments and mentions when someone needs to land in a precise place.

Precise links still require canvas access. Share the canvas first when access is uncertain, then send the page, object, or comment link.

Read-only and restricted sharing

Read-only sharing is useful when the canvas should be visible but not changed. Use it for final readouts, client previews, stakeholder review, or archived material. If feedback is needed, use comment access instead.

Some file downloads, image downloads, export actions, and owner settings can remain restricted even when someone can view the canvas. This is intentional in workspaces that protect source files or limit external extraction.

What can go wrong

If someone sees "No permission," "No Canvas Found," or a similar access error, check the account they are signed into, the link they used, project access, direct canvas membership, guest access, and whether the canvas was moved, archived, deleted, or unshared.

If a person can open the parent canvas but not a sub-canvas, share the sub-canvas directly or confirm it lives in a project they can access. Parent canvas access does not always guarantee access to every connected canvas.

If the Share button is missing, you may be a guest, using a view that does not manage access, or lacking permission to manage sharing.

If collaborators can view but not comment or edit, change their role from the share dialog or project access settings. Refreshing will not turn view access into comment or edit access.

If an external person cannot enter as a guest, confirm link sharing, guest access, PIN or password, and whether the workspace allows external collaboration for that canvas.