Collaborate on a shared presentation

Whether you’re the owner of a shared presentation or have been invited to collaborate, after you open the presentation you can see the edits made by others in real time, hide or show editing activity, and more.

The number of people editing or viewing the presentation (not including you) appears on the Collaborate button the Collaborators button in the toolbar, and their names appear in the participant list.

Accept an invitation to collaborate

When you receive a link to a shared presentation, what happens when you tap the link depends on the access and permission set by the owner, the Keynote and iOS version installed on your device, and whether you’re signed in to iCloud.

  1. Tap the link in the email, message, or post that you received.

  2. If asked, sign in to iCloud with an Apple ID or follow any instructions that appear.

    The presentation opens based on the following:

    • On a Mac: The presentation opens in Keynote for Mac or in Keynote for iCloud, depending on whether iCloud is set up on your Mac and you’re signed in; where you clicked the link (for example, in Mail on your Mac or on a webpage); and whether you have macOS 10.12 or later and Keynote 8.1 or later installed on your computer.

    • In iCloud.com on a Mac or Windows computer: If you’re signed in to iCloud.com in a web browser, the presentation opens in Keynote for iCloud, and it’s added to your presentation manager and to iCloud Drive.

    • On an iOS device with iOS 11 or later and Keynote 4.1 or later installed: The presentation opens in Keynote on your iOS device and is added to the presentation manager.

    • On an Android device, or an iOS device without iOS 11 or later and Keynote 4.1 or later installed: The presentation opens in a browser where you can view but not edit it.

If you’re having trouble accepting an invitation, make sure you meet the iCloud and system requirements.

Collaborate on a shared presentation

  1. Open the shared presentation.

    Tap Recents at the bottom of the presentation manager to see all shared presentations and more easily find the one you want. If you can’t find the shared presentation, tap the link in the email, message, or post that you received, and if asked, sign in.

    If you can’t open the presentation, see "Accept an invitation to collaborate” above.

  2. Edit the presentation.

    Edits you and others make to the presentation appear in real time. Colored cursors and colored selections of text and objects indicate where others are currently editing.

    Colored triangles below text to show where different people are editing.
  3. Do any of the following:

    • See who’s working in the presentation: Tap the Collaborators button to open the participant list, which shows who has joined the presentation and who is currently editing or viewing it.

      The number of people editing or viewing the presentation (not including you) appears on the button.

    • Follow someone’s edits: tap the colored dot next to the person’s name. If you don’t see a colored dot, the person has the presentation open but isn’t actively participating.

    • Hide or show activity (colored cursors or selections): Tap the More button, then turn Collaboration Activity off or on.

    • Resolve conflicts: If you’re the presentation owner and there are conflicts, you see a dialog. Choose the version you want to keep; if you keep more than one, the most recent remains the shared version.

If you see an alert on the Collaborate button in the toolbar, your device is offline and you can’t edit the presentation until it’s online again. Check your Internet connection and wait for your device to reconnect.

Opt out of a shared presentation

If you no longer want to have access to a presentation that was shared with you, you can remove yourself from the participant list.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • If the presentation is open: Tap the Collaborators button.

    • If the presentation is closed: With the presentation manager in browse view, tap Select in the top-right corner, tap a presentation (a checkmark appears), tap Share at the bottom of the screen, then tap Show People.

  2. Tap your name, then tap Remove Me.

Removing your name from the participant list removes the presentation from your iCloud Drive. If you later want to access the presentation again, you can use the original link to open it.

Note: Not all Keynote features are available for a presentation that’s shared with others. See this Apple Support article for information.

See alsoCollaboration overviewInvite others to collaborateChange a shared presentation’s settingsStop sharing a presentation