Overview

Sharing and Collaboration Features

Zoho Notebook offers multiple ways to collaborate with others.

Share Notebooks

Notebook sharing allows you to collaborate on an entire notebook with other users. When a notebook is shared:

• Collaborators can access all notecards within the notebook. 
• Changes are synchronized automatically. 
• Everyone works on the latest version of the content. 
• New notecards added to the notebook become available to collaborators. 

Ideal for: Team projects, department knowledge bases, study groups, and family planning.

Share Notecards

Instead of sharing an entire notebook, you can share individual notecards.

This allows you to:

• Share specific information without exposing the entire notebook. 
• Collaborate on a single note. 
• Request feedback on documents or meeting notes. 
• Share reference material with selected users. 
  

Public Sharing

Public sharing creates a shareable link that anyone can access through a web browser without requiring a Zoho account. With a public link you can:

• Share information with any audience using a single link.
• Publish notes for wider reading.
• Set an expiration date so the link stops working automatically.
• Delete the link at any time to revoke access immediately.

Manage Shared Access

You can update or revoke sharing at any time. From the sharing panel you can:

• Add new collaborators by email.
• Change an existing collaborator's permission level.
• Remove individual collaborators.
• Stop sharing a notebook or notecard entirely.
  

Permission Levels

When sharing a notebook, choose the level of access you want to give each collaborator.

Read Only

Collaborators can view the notebook and its notes, but cannot add, edit, or delete any content.

Best for: Sharing documentation, manuals, or reference materials.

Write

Collaborators can view, create, and edit notes, but cannot delete them.

Best for: Team collaboration where contributors shouldn't remove content.

Write & Delete

Collaborators have full access to view, create, edit, and delete notes in the shared notebook.

Best for: Small teams or trusted collaborators working together on the same notebook.

Note: You can change a collaborator's permission level at any time from the notebook's sharing settings.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How to Share a Notebook

1. Open the Notebook app. 
2. Hover over the notebook you want to share. 
3. Click the More Options (⋮) icon. 
4. Select Private Share in the bottom. 
5. Enter the collaborator's email address. 
6. Click Share. 

An email containing the access link will be sent to the collaborator.

Note: All notecards within the notebook will be shared with the collaborator.

How to Share a Notecard

1. Open the notecard. 
2. Click Private Share at the bottom of the card. 
3.  Enter the collaborator's email address and choose a permission level.
4. Click Share. 

An email containing the access link will be sent to the collaborator.

How to Create a Public Shareable Link

1. Open the notecard. 
2. Click the Share option. 
3. Select Public Shareable Link. 
4. Click Yes to confirm. 

Once the link is created, you can:

• Copy and share the link via email or any messaging platform.
• Set an expiration date so the link becomes inactive automatically.
• Delete the link at any time to revoke public access immediately.
  

Note: Anyone with the public link can view the notecard.

Revoke Access

If you no longer want someone to access your notebook:

1. Open the notebook's Share settings.
2. Locate the collaborator.
3. Click or tap Remove.
4. Confirm your action.

Benefits of Co-Work

Co-Work in Zoho Notebook helps you and your team:

• Collaborate from anywhere, on any device.
• Maintain a single source of truth for shared information.
• Share knowledge quickly without exchanging files.
• Organize project documentation in one place.
• Access shared content seamlessly across web, mobile, and desktop. 
  

Block a Collaborator

If you no longer wish to receive notes shared by a particular user, you can block them.

To block a collaborator:

1. Open any note that has been shared by the collaborator.
2. Click or tap Share.
3. Select Block Notes from this User.

Once blocked:

• All notes shared by that collaborator are removed from your account.
• Future notes shared by the blocked collaborator will not be delivered to you.
• The collaborator is added to your blocked collaborators list.
  

Note: Blocking a collaborator only affects notes shared with you by that user. It does not block or remove your own shared notebooks.

View or Unblock Blocked Collaborators

You can manage blocked collaborators at any time.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Blocked Collaborators.
3. View all blocked users.
4. Choose Unblock to allow future sharing from that collaborator.

Important: Unblocking a collaborator allows them to share new notes with you again. Notes that were removed when the collaborator was blocked are not restored automatically. The collaborator will need to share those notes again if you need access to them.

Common Use Cases

Maintain project documentation, meeting notes, and shared resources in a common notebook that every team member can access and update.

Collaborate on agendas, discussion points, and action items before, during, and after meetings.

Share lecture notes, assignments, and research materials among students and educators using shared notebooks or public links.

Coordinate travel plans, shopping lists, event planning, and household information with family members.

Things to Know

• Collaborators require a Zoho account to access shared notebooks and notes. 
• Shared content remains under the ownership of the original creator. 
• Access permissions can be modified or revoked at any time. 
• Changes sync automatically across supported platforms. 
• Collaboration features are available across web, mobile, and desktop apps. 
• Publicly shared notecards can be accessed without direct collaboration permissions as long as the shareable link remains active.

Important Note About Editing

Currently, a notecard cannot be edited simultaneously by multiple collaborators. If one collaborator is actively editing a note, other collaborators must wait until the changes are saved successfully before making additional edits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes. Individual notecards can be shared without sharing the entire notebook.

Yes, a Zoho account is required to access shared notebooks and notecards via Private Share. Public shareable links can be viewed without a Zoho account.

Yes. You can remove individual collaborators or stop sharing a notebook or notecard entirely at any time.

Yes. Updates made by any collaborator are synchronized automatically across all supported platforms.

Yes. Shared content is available across supported Zoho Notebook platforms.

Yes. You can delete the public shareable link at any time. Once deleted, the notecard will no longer be accessible through that link.

Yes. Notebook allows you to set an expiration date when using public shareable links.

No. Zoho Notebook uses a write-lock system to prevent conflicting edits. If one collaborator is editing a notecard, others must wait until the changes are saved before they can make edits.

• Removing revokes a person's access to a notebook that you own.
• Blocking prevents another user from sharing notes with you and removes the notes they have already shared. Unblocking allows future sharing, but previously removed notes are not restored automatically.

Need Further Assistance?

If you need help with sharing or collaboration features in Zoho Notebook, contact us at support@zohonotebook.com.