Private links and share links in Canvas

Canvas links do two different jobs. A private link sends a person to an exact place inside a canvas — a page, object, comment thread, or chat message. A share link helps a person get access to the canvas in the first place. Mixing them up is the most common reason a recipient says a link "does not work" even though the URL was copied correctly.

Use private links for precision after access already exists. Use share links when the recipient may need access, guest entry, or a permission check before opening the canvas.

Private links vs share links

"Private" here is not a secret URL format or a separate privacy mode — it means the link follows the canvas's normal access rules. Copy page link, Copy link on an object, Copy comment link, and Copy link on a chat message all produce private links. They point to a normal canvas route and focus the right place after the canvas opens; they do not invite the recipient, change their permission, or make the canvas public. If the recipient does not already have access through the canvas, project, workspace, or a direct share, a private link still leads to an access error.

A share link, created from Share, opens the access path. Depending on the visible settings and workspace rules it may grant the selected permission, ask the recipient to complete guest entry, require a Canvas PIN, or check whether the person is allowed in before the canvas opens. Do not assume a share link bypasses workspace rules — trust the final permission shown in Share. After you copy a precise link, ALLO may show a copied-link message with a Share action; that is the access check that keeps a precise link from becoming an access-denied message.

Compare the links

Guests do not see the normal Share control. If a guest needs another person added, a workspace member or canvas owner should manage access from Share.

Send the right link for the job

For external work, the cleanest handoff often uses two links on purpose: send the share link first as the access link ("Can this person enter, and with what permission?"), then the private link as the navigation link ("Where should they look once inside?"). For example: "Use this share link to enter with comment access. After it opens, use this page link to go straight to the pricing review." That one extra sentence prevents the classic failure where a client opens a precise object URL, signs in with the wrong account, and assumes the canvas is broken. If you send only one link externally, send the share link — the recipient can always navigate once inside.

If a teammate cannot open a precise link, do not keep resending it — open Share, confirm access, then resend. The first link was doing the precision job; it was missing the access job.

URL patterns

ALLO generates these values, so copy the real link from the product instead of typing one by hand.

The share key handles access; the query values only tell ALLO where to focus after entry, so the same focus query can appear after a share link (/s/{share-key}?req=obj&cid=...&perm=...). The values after page, cid, comment_p_name, comment_id, and chat_message_id are generated, not readable, reusable across canvases, or meant to be edited by hand. Object links can also point to other canvases or sub-canvases; the viewer still needs the right access at the destination. If ALLO copied a link while you were on a different entry route, use the copied URL as-is rather than editing it.

Guest and client access

For external review, comment access is safer than edit access. Use edit only when the recipient should change canvas content.

Use Guest collaboration when someone outside the workspace needs temporary or scoped access: a guest sees an entry screen, enters a name, and continues when the shared access allows it. The guest experience can hide owner-level controls such as Share, Present, thread moderation, and workspace metadata. For a contractor who works in the canvas over time, decide whether they should be a guest, external collaborator, or workspace member — do not use an exact object link as a workaround for missing access. Grant the right access first, then use exact links to point them to the work. After access exists, page links suit a review section, object links a specific file or screenshot, comment links a thread that needs an answer, and chat message links a message to inspect (move durable decisions from chat into a comment or visible content).

Troubleshooting