Before you share a staff list: a 10-point checklist for Google Sheets™
- Who is it for? Name the person or group and what they need from it. Everything else is surplus.
- Columns they do not need. Remove pay, NI numbers, bank details, home addresses, dates of birth and anything about health or absence unless the reader needs it.
- Unhide every tab. Decide for each one whether it belongs in the share.
- Unhide rows and columns. Hidden is not private.
- Read the cell notes. Notes travel with the file.
- Look at the comments. Open them with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+A. Comments often hold the sentence you did not mean to share.
- Check formulas that pull in other files. An IMPORTRANGE shows that file's data to everyone who can open this one.
- Make a copy; do the removing in the copy, not the original. A copy has no version history, so deleted data stays behind.
- Check the sharing settings. Restricted rather than anyone with the link, and viewer rather than editor where you can. Set an expiry on Google Workspace™ files.
- Check the copy again. Do it after you have made the changes, not before.
Why this order
The first two points reduce what you share. The middle points find where data hides. The last three control how the file travels. Skipping the first two makes the rest harder.
Check before you share
Personal Data and Sharing Check™ scans a Google Sheets™ file for personal data, including hidden tabs, notes and disguised text, and shows who can already see it. It shows masked samples only, never the full value. Checking is free, and your data stays in your browser.
Install from the Google Workspace Marketplace™
Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. App Garden™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. This is data-minimisation and sharing-hygiene guidance, not legal advice.
Google, Google Sheets™ and Google Workspace™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Personal Data and Sharing Check is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.