Help

How to use Sharedocs

Everything you need to know about creating, managing, and accessing document libraries. Features marked with a tier badge require that subscription level or above.

Personal+ Professional+ Business

For Library Owners & Admins

As a library owner, you have full control over your documents, collaborators, branding, and security settings.

Upload documents

Drag and drop files or browse to upload. Document titles are generated automatically from the filename.

Edit & organise documents

Change a document's title, category, or folder after upload. Drag and drop documents to reorder them.

Invite collaborators

Invite people by email. They receive a branded invitation with a one-click access link. Free libraries support up to 5 collaborators.

Access modes

Choose how visitors access your library: Open (public, anyone with the link), Invite only (personal secure link by email, no account needed), or Invite + OTP (link triggers a one-time code sent to the collaborator's email). OTP mode requires Personal or above.

Document versions & archiving

Personal+

Upload a new version of a document and Sharedocs archives the old one, or keeps both linked as versions. When a new file looks like a version of an existing one, the upload asks which you want. Archived versions are kept in the Archived tab, where you can restore or delete them.

Bin for deleted documents

Professional+

Deleted documents go to the bin, where you can restore them for 10 days (30 days on Business) before they are removed for good.

Audit log

Track who viewed, downloaded, uploaded, and edited every document with timestamps and IP addresses.

Download control

Choose whether collaborators can download files or only view them in-browser. Downloads are enabled by default and can be turned off per-library in Access Controls.

Dark mode

Sharedocs is light unless you switch. Choose dark with the moon toggle (in the menu on mobile), and it remembers your choice on that device.

Library expiry

Personal+

Set an optional expiry date on any library. Extend or remove the expiry at any time. All admins receive email reminders before expiry.

Remove Sharedocs branding

Professional+

The 'Powered by Sharedocs' footer is removed on Professional and above.

Bulk upload

Personal+

Upload multiple files at once with a progress indicator.

Folders

Professional+

Organise documents into nested folders (up to 5 levels deep).

Custom logo & brand colours

Professional+

Upload your logo and set primary/secondary brand colours for a fully branded library.

Admin collaborators

Professional+

Invite collaborators as admins who can upload documents and manage viewers alongside you. Up to 3 admins per library on Professional, unlimited on Business.

Document export

Professional+

Export your library or a specific folder as a password-protected ZIP archive (AES-256 encrypted).

Custom domain

Business+

Use your own domain (e.g. docs.yourcompany.com) with automatic SSL for a seamless branded portal.

IP country restrictions

Business+

Restrict library access to specific countries using geo-IP filtering.

Library Terms of Service

Business+

Require collaborators to agree to your terms before accessing documents. Supports versioning and reagreement policies.

For Collaborators

As a collaborator, you've been invited to view documents in someone else's library. Your experience depends on the library owner's settings and subscription tier.

Accepting an invitation

You'll receive a branded email with an access link. How you access depends on the library's settings: click straight through (Open or Invite only), verify your email with a one-time code (Invite + OTP), or log in to your Sharedocs account (Account required).

Viewing documents

Click any document title to view it in-browser. PDFs, Office documents, and images open in built-in viewers. Each view is logged.

Downloading documents

If the library owner has enabled downloads, you'll see a download button on each document. Files are served via time-limited signed URLs for security.

Finding documents

Use categories and search to find what you need. Documents are presented in the order the library owner has chosen.

Navigating folders

Professional+

Libraries with folders display a breadcrumb trail at the top. Click any level to jump back.

Account two-factor authentication

Protect your Sharedocs account with a time-based one-time password (TOTP) using any authenticator app. Set it up in Security Settings. Includes a single-use recovery key.

Library Terms of Service

Business+

Some libraries require you to agree to their terms before viewing documents. You may be asked to re-agree when terms are updated.

Contacting the library owner

Business+

Some libraries offer a built-in contact form. Messages are delivered to the library owner who can reply by email.

For AI assistants

Connect your AI assistant to Sharedocs and it can work with your libraries from a chat. It sees only what you can see (apart from country restrictions, which can't be checked for assistants). For step-by-step instructions for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other assistants, see Connect your AI assistant.

Connecting an assistant

Add the Sharedocs server address, https://app.sharedocs.net/mcp, to Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that supports MCP. Sign in with your Sharedocs account and, on the consent screen, choose read access, or read and write access. There is no client ID or key to paste. Available on every plan.

What to ask

Try "What's in my client library?", "Summarise the latest board minutes" or "Write up these notes and file them as a PDF". An assistant can read the text of PDF and Word documents up to 10 MB. Adding, renaming and replacing documents and inviting people need read and write access, and only work in libraries you own or are an admin of.

Uploading through a link

Chat assistants such as Claude.ai and ChatGPT can't see files on your computer, so they give you a one-time upload link. Open it, sign in if you need to, and pick the file. The link works for 15 minutes. Assistants with file access, such as Claude Code and Cursor, upload the file directly.

Disconnecting an assistant

Every connected assistant is listed in Security Settings under Connected apps. Revoke one there and it stops working on its next call. A connection lasts at most 90 days before you sign in again.

Controlling assistants per library

In library management, open Access Controls and use the AI assistants setting: Everyone with access (the default), Only me, or No one. A collaborator's assistant only ever sees what that collaborator can see. Country restrictions can't be checked for assistants, so use this setting for a country-restricted library.

Seeing what an assistant did

Every action an assistant takes is recorded in the library's audit log, labelled with the assistant's name, for example "Sharedocs MCP (Claude)". An assistant can't delete documents.