Start working with colleagues
Share a note or notebook using a colleague’s username, or create a team and invite them. Then you can edit the same notes in real time and pass tasks back and forth.
Applies to Web · Mac · iPhone app · only the owner can change sharing
Working together in CommonNote always starts with seeing the same note. People on the same note can edit it together in real time and hand tasks to each other. Messenger contacts fill in automatically with teammates, people you have shared a note or notebook with (between the sharer and each recipient) and people you have already messaged — two people who merely received the same note aren’t contacts of each other, so put them on a team if they need to talk. Your colleague directory fills in automatically with the people you work with.
Before you start
- Your colleague needs a CommonNote account. If they don’t have one, ask them to sign up first.
- You find people by typing their exact username (not case-sensitive). There is no search by part of a name, and no lookup by email. Email addresses won’t find anyone, so ask for the username.
- Only the owner of a note or notebook can change its sharing (invite, change roles, remove access).
Choose how to work together
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| You only need to share one note | Share the note |
| You’ll keep working on a folder of notes together | Share the notebook. Its sub-notebooks and every note created in it later are shared automatically. |
| The same group works on several projects | Create a team, then create team projects (shared notebooks). The team also gets a team chat. |
Share a note
- Click Share in the note header. You can also right-click the note in the note list and choose Share & permissions.
- Under Invite by username, type your colleague’s username and choose a role: Can edit or View only.
- Click Invite. The note appears in their list right away.
Password-locked notes can’t be shared (the Share button doesn’t appear). Details are in Share notes and notebooks.
Share a notebook
- Hover over the notebook in the sidebar and click the Invite members · manage permissions icon, or right-click the notebook and choose Share & permissions.
- Enter a username and role, then invite. For editors you can turn on Allow creating notes in this folder.
The notebook appears under Shared with me in their sidebar.
Create a team
- Click New team next to the Teams section title in the sidebar and enter a team name.
- From the team’s ⋯ menu, choose Invite member and enter a username. The person becomes a member immediately. Only the team lead and admins can invite.
- Choose New project (shared notebook) from the team’s ⋯ menu to create a notebook every member can see.
- Open the team conversation with Open team chat.
For roles and management, see Create and manage a team.
What you can do once you share
- Edit together in real time: avatars of people viewing the note appear in the note header, and edits merge instantly. See Edit together and see who wrote what.
- @mentions: type
@in the note to see the people who share it; picking one sends them a notification. - Hand off tasks: pass a checklist line on with a memo and a due date. See Hand off a task.
- Chat: people and teams you work with appear as contacts in Messenger on the top bar. See Chat in Messenger.
- Colleague directory: Colleagues in the sidebar lists the people you work with and what you share. See Use the colleague directory.