Share reports and documents with people outside Onplana

All plans Member

Clients, sponsors, and auditors often need to see a report or a document without getting an Onplana login. Two sharing mechanisms cover this: public links for reports, and email-verified links for documents. Both are revocable at any time.

Build or load a saved report on the Reports page, then select Share in the toolbar.
Select Create Share Link. Optionally check Password-protect this link (minimum 4 characters) and Set expiration date.
Copy the link and send it. Anyone with the link (and the password, if set) can view the report in their browser, no account needed.

A report can be shared by the person who saved it, and by organization owners and admins. To cut off access, open the same Share dialog and select Revoke next to the link; revocation is immediate and cannot be undone (you can always create a fresh link).

Document sharing works differently, and deliberately so: instead of a password, each recipient proves they own their email address.

Open the file’s preview from its document folder and select Share.
In the Share document dialog, enter the recipient email addresses (one or more, up to 50).
Optionally set an expiry date, and choose whether to share a frozen snapshot (the default) or check Share live version.
Send. Each recipient receives a personal link by email and must confirm their address with a one-time code before viewing.

Because every link is personal and email-verified, a forwarded link reveals nothing: whoever opens it still has to pass the code check for the original recipient’s address.

The dialog shows the access list for each share: who has verified, when they last opened it, and how often. From there you can revoke a single recipient or the entire share; either takes effect immediately, and revoking a share also deletes its frozen snapshot copy.

Best practices

Default to snapshot, not live, for document shares. Snapshots freeze content at the moment of sharing. Live means future edits leak. Use live only when continuous updates are intentional.
Set expiry dates on shares. Open- ended shares accumulate. A 30-day or 90-day expiry forces refresh, which is the right moment to re-verify the recipient still needs access.
Use password-protection on reports carrying sensitive data. Reports are public-by-link; password protection adds the second layer. Documents use email verification, which is stronger.
Revoke immediately when access is no longer needed. Onplana revocation is instantaneous. Don’t wait for expiry if access shouldn’t continue.
Track shares via the access list. The dialog shows who’s verified, when they last opened the link, and how often. Useful for engagement metrics and security audits.

Troubleshooting / common pitfalls

Recipient says the link doesn’t work. Three causes: (a) expired; (b) revoked; (c) wrong recipient (email mismatch). Check share status.
Email verification code not arriving. Spam filter, or wrong recipient address. Verify the address was entered correctly; resend.
Sharing rejected for a large binary. Per the 25 MB cap on most setups, large binary files don’t share by link. Use cloud storage for these.
Snapshot stays linked to live edits. It shouldn’t, snapshots freeze content. If you see leaks, verify the share was created with snapshot mode (not Live).
Share link still loads after library restriction. Restriction revokes active links. If a link still loads after restrict, file a bug.

How this combines with other features

External shares + Library sharing. Per-library restriction revokes active external links. See Share libraries and lists.
External shares + Office editor. External viewers see read-only; no editor access. See Edit Office documents in browser.
External shares + Reports. Report share is link + optional password. Documents use email verification.
External shares + Audit log. Every share, open, and revoke writes to the audit log. Compliance- friendly trail. See Read audit logs.

Coming from another tool

Tool	Mapping
Google Drive public links	Direct concept; Onplana adds email verification
Dropbox / OneDrive shares	Direct
SharePoint anonymous links	Direct
Box anonymous links	Direct
Custom internal sharing	Onplana’s email-gated model is stronger than password-only

FAQs

Why can’t I password-protect a document share? Documents use email verification instead, which is stronger: a password can be forwarded along with the link, but a one-time code sent to the recipient’s inbox cannot be passed around.

Who is allowed to share? Reports: the report’s creator, plus owners and admins. Documents: any organization member who can open the document; guests cannot create shares.

Are there limits on document shares? Up to 50 recipients per share, and very large binary files cannot be shared by link (the dialog tells you the cap, 25 MB on standard setups, and suggests downloading and sending directly). Externally linked boards and docs have no stored content, so they cannot be shared this way.

Does revoking a report link break old screenshots or exports? No. Anything recipients already downloaded stays with them; revoking only stops the link from loading anything new.

Can I share a share link with multiple recipients? Reports: one link works for many; recipients each enter the password if set. Documents: each recipient gets a personal link (email verification per recipient).

Does email verification timeout? The one-time code expires after a configured window (typically 15 minutes). Recipients can request a new code.

Are external shares included in plan AI token budgets? No, external sharing doesn’t consume AI tokens. It’s a free operational capability.

Share libraries and lists, internal sharing + restriction
Edit Office documents in browser, external view is read-only
Read audit logs, share events are recorded

Was this helpful?