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Full File Collaborator entry
How-to guide

How to add a Collaborator to a Salesforce File

Adding a Collaborator is a one-click action in the file Share dialog. Multiple Collaborators can be added at once; group-based additions scale to large teams.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 21, 2026

Adding a Collaborator is a one-click action in the file Share dialog. Multiple Collaborators can be added at once; group-based additions scale to large teams.

  1. Open the file

    Navigate to the file in the Files tab or on a record page. Click the file to open it.

  2. Click Share

    On the file detail page, click the Share button (or the equivalent action in your layout). The Share dialog opens.

  3. Add a user or group as Collaborator

    Type a user or group name to search. Select the user/group. Pick Collaborator from the permission dropdown. Click Add.

  4. Set notification preferences

    Choose whether to notify the new Collaborator by email. The notification includes a link to the file.

  5. Save

    Click Done. The ContentDocumentLink record is created with ShareType=C. The Collaborator can now edit the file.

  6. Verify access

    Optionally Login As the Collaborator (or test with a real user) to confirm they have edit access. Watch for unexpected escalations.

Key options
Viewer (ShareType V)remember

Read-only access. View, download, comment.

Collaborator (ShareType C)remember

Edit access. Everything Viewer can do plus upload new versions.

Owner (ShareType I)remember

Full control. Edit, delete, change sharing.

Group-based Collaboratorremember

Adding a Group as Collaborator grants every Group member edit access.

Gotchas
  • Collaborators cannot delete the file. Sharing alone does not transfer ownership; only the Owner can delete.
  • Collaborators can upload new versions but cannot remove old versions. Version history is preserved for audit.
  • Group-based Collaborator access propagates to all group members. Removing a member from the group revokes their Collaborator access automatically.
  • Record-level sharing can grant similar permissions. Adding explicit Collaborators alongside record sharing creates a permission stack; understand both for clean access control.

See the full File Collaborator entry

File Collaborator includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.