We will learn how to force a copy of a Google file for other users. This process will allow us to go beyond sharing with others and actually distribute a unique copy to each recipient. This is appropriate if you want them to have their own copy that is not connected to the original. If you want people to be constantly connected to the original in order to see any additions or changes, this would not be an appropriate means for that.

This process is a nifty trick that will allow others to walk away with their own copy. Google Drive already allows you to share view-only files with others, and it allows for collaborative editing. It also allows recipients to make their own copy of a file that they have access to for themselves. The tip here will show you how to present a file link to a recipient so that an automatic copy is made for them. They won't need to request access to your original, and you won't have to remind them of how to make a copy.

In order to make this possible, the author of the document goes into the share settings and makes sure that anyone with the link can view. You then copy the link, and now you have to do a bit of editing. Here’s how it works: paste the link somewhere you can manipulate it—in your notes app, in a document, or in the browser's address bar. Towards the end of the link, you should see the word "edit." You simply delete the word "edit" in the link and change it to "copy," leaving everything else the same.

Now paste the new link that contains the word "copy" into your browser's address bar. You should be presented with a page that looks like this. This is a prompt asking you if you would like to make a copy of the file. If you saw this prompt, then you've done it correctly. If you get an error code or if you're linked back to your original, you'll need to edit that link and try again.

Once the recipient clicks "make a copy," he or she now has their own copy and can organize it in their Drive. Use this simple trick to make distributing files to your recipients super easy!