Google Docs: Two Methods of Emailing Collaborators

 You’ve probably had the experience of collaborating with colleagues on a shared Google Doc or assigning students to work together on a document, and needing to email them. The fastest way to email collaborators about a shared document is from the document itself. There are at least two ways to start an email to collaborators from a Google Doc. The default email settings for the two methods though, are different. You may have also experienced that sometimes a method that generally works occasionally fails to work. 

Method One: Emailing from the File Menu 

Here’s the pathway to start an email: 

Go to File Menu > Email > Email Collaborators 

This will start an email that is by default shared with all collaborators but you can remove anyone you don’t need to email. The default subject is the name of the document, but you can change that, and the body is blank. This is very easy and generally works. 

However, you may have experienced that with some documents, when you follow the same path, Email collaborators is greyed out. 

Don’t worry –  there is a second method of starting an email to collaborators. 

Method Two: Emailing from the Activity Dashboard 

Click on the Upward Zigzag Arrow Icon on the top right-hand side, above the menu bar. 

This will take you to the Activity Dashboard. You will then see a list of collaborators on the document. To start an email, check the boxes to the right of their names of the ones you want to email, and then click Continue. The subject will be slightly different than an email started from the File Menu, but you can change the subject. 

Please be aware that the Activity Dashboard will also show you information about when your collaborators last opened the document. This information can be helpful if you’re trying to get a sense of who you might need to reach out to, but it is not recommended as a way to assess participation or performance. 

What if Neither Method Works?

 If you cannot launch an email from either the File Menu or the Activity Dashboard, then you probably only have View or Comment access to the document, and will need to request Edit Access in order to collaborate on the document.