On Google Docs, “turning off ‘Notify people'” means that when you share a document, the people you share it with will not receive an email notification about it. This option is available when you are setting the sharing permissions for the document.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how this works and when you might want to use it:
Sharing a Document on Google Docs
- Open the Document: Open the Google Docs document you want to share.
- Click on Share: Click the “Share” button in the top right corner of the document.
- Add People or Groups: In the sharing settings, you can add the email addresses of the people you want to share the document with.
- Set Permissions: Choose the level of access you want to grant (Viewer, Commenter, or Editor).
- Turn Off Notify People: Below the email field, you will see a checkbox labeled “Notify people.” By default, this box is checked, meaning that an email notification will be sent to the people you are sharing the document with.
What Happens When You Turn Off Notify People
- No Email Notification: The people you share the document with will not receive an email telling them that they now have access to the document. They will have to find the document through other means, such as checking their shared with me folder in Google Drive.
- Use Cases: This option can be useful in various scenarios:
- Internal Sharing: If you’re sharing the document with colleagues who you can inform through other channels (e.g., in a meeting, via a direct message).
- Reducing Email Clutter: To avoid sending too many email notifications, especially if you are making multiple shares or updates within a short period.
- Stealth Sharing: If you want to share a document without immediately alerting the recipients, allowing them to discover it on their own.
How to Turn Off Notify People
- Uncheck the Box: When you are in the sharing settings and have added the email addresses of the recipients, simply uncheck the “Notify people” box before clicking the “Send” button.
- Send: Click “Send” to share the document without sending an email notification.
Additional Tips
- Inform Recipients Separately: If you turn off notifications, consider informing the recipients through another method to ensure they know the document is available to them.
- Manage Access Later: You can always change the sharing settings and notify people later if needed by going back into the sharing settings and checking the “Notify people” box again before sending a notification.
Turning off “Notify people” is a handy feature to control how and when recipients are alerted about new shared documents, helping you manage communications more effectively.
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