--- title: "Who can open what" description: "Every document and file is open to anyone with the link, only people added, or a workspace team. Here is how each choice works with passwords and sign-in." canonical_url: https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/who-can-open last_updated: 2026-10-30 site: "Markdrop Docs" index: https://docs.markdrop.in/llms.txt --- # Who can open what Every document and file has one setting that decides who can open it: **Who can open it**. It has three choices. Passwords, encryption and named people work on top of that setting, and this page explains how they fit together. ## The three choices | Choice | Who can open it | Sign-in | | --- | --- | --- | | **Anyone with the link** | Anyone who has the address. | Not needed. | | **{Team} team**, for example **Acme team** | Everyone in the workspace it's filed in, plus people you add by email. Nobody else, link or not. | Needed. | | **Only people added** | You and the people you add by email. | Needed. | **Anyone with the link** is the default. Everything published without an account uses it, and it's how Markdrop links have always worked. The team choice is named after your workspace, so a workspace called Acme shows **Acme team**. It's only available once the document is in a workspace. People you add by email always get in, whatever the choice, as long as they sign in with that address. See [Share with specific people](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/share-with-people). ## Change it You need to be the document's owner, signed in. ### Open Share On the document, choose **Share**. From **My files**, choose **Share…** in the row's menu. On a file, choose **More artifact actions › Share**. ### Pick a choice Under **Who can open it**, choose one of the three cards. It saves straight away: "Who can open it is updated." The dialog lists every address the setting covers, for example `docs.acme.com/guides/setup` and `markdrop.in/setup`. One setting covers them all. Narrowing takes effect at once. Make a document private and people who aren't on the list can't open it on their next visit, and links to a protected file's bytes that were already handed out stop working. ## What readers see when they can't open it | They see | Because | | --- | --- | | "This document is private" and **Sign in to open** | They aren't signed in, and the document isn't open to anyone with the link. | | "You don't have access yet" and **Request access** | They're signed in, but not with an address that has access. They can ask you. See [Request access](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/request-access). | | "This document is password protected" | It's open to anyone with the link, behind a password. | ## How the extras fit ### Passwords A password only applies to **Anyone with the link**, and only to strangers. You, people you added, your workspace team and anyone holding the edit secret open it without the password. See [Passwords and expiry](https://docs.markdrop.in/documents/passwords-and-expiry). ### Encryption An end-to-end encrypted document needs the full link, with its `#k=` key, on top of everything else. Adding someone by email lets them fetch it; it doesn't give them the key. See [End-to-end encryption](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/end-to-end-encryption). ### Workspaces that require sign-in A workspace admin can turn on **Visitors must sign in to open anything**. Then nothing in that workspace is open to strangers, even items set to **Anyone with the link**: only members and people added by email get in. See [Workspace privacy](https://docs.markdrop.in/workspaces/privacy). ### Filing doesn't change access Putting a document in a workspace folder doesn't change who can open it. A document set to **Only people added** stays that way inside a workspace; even workspace admins can't open it unless you add them. ## What each person can do | Person | Read | Edit the text or replace the file | Password, expiry, link, delete | Who can open it, add people | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Owner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Edit secret holder | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Added with **Can edit** | Yes | Yes | No | Add others, if allowed | | Added with **Can view** | Yes | No | No | Add others, if allowed | | Workspace member, team choice or link | Yes | Yes, except **Can view** members | No | Add others, if allowed | | Anyone else, link choice | Yes | No | No | No | "If allowed" means you turned on **Let people I share with add others**. See [Share with specific people](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/share-with-people#let-people-share-it-on). ## More about sharing **[Share with specific people](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/share-with-people)** Add people by email with Can view or Can edit. **[Request access](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/request-access)** Ask an owner for access, or answer someone who asked you. **[End-to-end encryption](https://docs.markdrop.in/sharing/end-to-end-encryption)** Encrypt a document so Markdrop stores only ciphertext. **[Workspace privacy](https://docs.markdrop.in/workspaces/privacy)** Set defaults for a whole team, or require sign-in for everything.