Prepare a collaborative session

Explain Everything's collaboration is designed to support almost every collaboration scenario. You can set up your project so that you have control over how it plays out. You can also change it anytime. Here are the most popular setups and tips to help you find your way around them.

Pro Tip: To be able to customize these further learn more about: Roles and Following, Access permissions, Collaboration Scenarios, and Inviting others.

Note: If you're on a Class or School plan you won't be able to invite people from outside your organization. This is due to  school and student privacy protection. Additionally, Student accounts on these plans can only invite Admins and Teachers to their projects.

Before the collaboration: start from scratch or from an existing project?

You can collaborate on an empty project and invite people to work with you (or watch you explain) or on a project you already have.

  • New: learn how you can start a new project.
  • Existing: Navigate to the project you'd like to collaborate on and open it. If you'd like to leave the original intact you can duplicate it and work on the copy.

Present to the audience invited via link

This setup will make sure only you can edit the project. Everyone will follow your view at all times.

  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Copy to copy the project to Explain Drive.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and switch the preset to Presentation.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and choose Can view.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Start to copy the project to Explain Drive. Once the project is ready, select  Invite/CODE button again.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and switch the preset to Presentation.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and choose Can view.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. From the menu, select Scenario and switch the preset to Presentation.
  3. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  4. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  5. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and choose Can view.
  6. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Copy to copy the invitation link. You can now paste it to your message.

Tip: Want others to be able to download the project file for their own use? In the Access permissions, select Can view and download (instead of Can view) access type.

Let others edit the project with you

By default your cloud projects are open for collaboration. Anyone with the link can join you once you share it. Go through the following steps to make sure your project is set that way.

  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Copy to copy the project to Explain Drive.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Start to copy the project to Explain Drive. Once the project is ready, select the  Invite/CODE button again.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
    1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
    2. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
    3. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
    4. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
    5. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
    6. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.

Let others edit only at certain points during presentation

If you'd like to be able to enable your audience to edit the project at a certain point in time during presentation, you can do so.

  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Copy to copy the project to Explain Drive.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and set it to Presentation.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Start to copy the project to Explain Drive. Once the project is ready, select the  Invite/CODE button again.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and set it to Presentation.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  5. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  6. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
  7. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. From the menu, select Scenario and set it to Presentation.
  3. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Access permissions.
  4. Choose either Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization depending on with whom you're planning to share the project.
  5. Select the icon next to the chosen audience, and make sure it is set to Can edit.
  6. Go Back. From the Invite Link section, select Share to share your invitation.

Here's how to enable the editing for your audience whenever you need.

  1. Select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. From the menu, select Scenario and set it to Open Collaboration.
  3. When your audience is done editing, change back the Scenario to Presentation.

Tip: Want just a single person to be able to edit the project at a certain point? Make them the host.

Let only certain people edit the project

For times when you want only the specified people to be able to access and edit the project with you, you can invite them by email or username.

  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Copy to copy the project to Explain Drive.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Add people.
  5. Select Change next to the general Access permission.
  6. Select Only specified people.
  7. Go back to Invite. 
  8. In the Invite others by email box, enter the email address or the display name of the person from your Group. Hit Return/Enter. Repeat for every person you'd like to give the Edit access.
  9. When you’re ready, select Done to send the invitations.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. If asked, select Start to copy the project to Explain Drive. Once the project is ready, select the  Invite/CODE button again.
  3. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
  4. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Add people.
  5. Select Change next to the general Access permission.
  6. Select Only specified people.
  7. Go back to Invite. 
  8. In the Invite others by email box, enter the email address or the display name of the person from your Group. Hit Return/Enter. Repeat for every person you'd like to give the Edit access.
  9. When you’re ready, select Done to send the invitations.
  1. Once in the project, select the  Invite/CODE button.
  2. From the menu, select Scenario and make sure the preset is set to Open Collaboration.
  3. Go back to the Collaboration menu and select Add people.
  4. Select Change next to the general Access permission.
  5. Select Only specified people.
  6. Go back to Invite. 
  7. In the Invite others by email box, enter the email address or the display name of the person from your Group. Hit Return/Enter. Repeat for every person you'd like to give the Edit access.
  8. When you’re ready, select Done to send the invitations.

Tip: Want others to be able to just view the project? Set the Access permission to Anyone with the link or Anyone at my organization and select View only as the access type.

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