How to Use an Excel Workbook Over a Network
Microsoft Office Excel 2010 workbooks can contain dozens of different spreadsheets, and each one can contain an entire database. Working alone on such a project is frightening. If you have a team, you can use the Excel workbook over a network and allow your coworkers to open, edit and save your workbook from their own computers. All you have to do is configure Windows 7 for sharing on a network and share the workbook on the network with adequate permissions.
Click the Windows button in the bottom left corner of your screen and click "Control Panel" in the resulting menu.
Click the "Choose homegroup and sharing settings" link, in the Network and Internet section, and you are redirected to the HomeGroup section.
Click the "Change advanced sharing settings" link at the bottom to view the advanced sharing settings.
Enable the "Turn on network discovery," "Turn on file and printer sharing," "Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can read and write files in the Public folders" and "Turn off password protected sharing" options.
Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the window and close the Control Panel.
Click the Windows button again and click "Computer" to launch the Windows 7 file manager.
Select the folder that contains the Excel workbook.
Click "Share with" at the top of the file manager and select "Homegroup (Read/Write)" to share the Excel workbook on the network. Other computers also get write access, so people can save and overwrite the workbook.
- Sharing files with write access is dangerous; people can accidentally delete them.
Kirk Bennet started writing for websites and online publications in 2005. He covers topics in nutrition, health, gardening, home improvement and information technology.