Workbook Modes: View, Explore, and Edit

Workbooks can be accessed in three different modes: View, Explore, and Edit.

The modes you can access depend on the permissions granted to you at the individual workbook level. To learn more about permission management, visit Folder and Document Permissions.

Note: Your workbook access may be further controlled by your account type.

Summary of Content

What can I do in each mode?
View
Explore
Edit
Editor Panel in Explore vs. Edit
Open Edit Mode
Related Resources

What can I do in each mode?

Note: The permissions listed below aim to give you an introductory look into workbooks' three different view modes. They do not account for all workbook features. Please visit documentation for each feature to learn more about its requirements.

View

Users with Can View access can:

View the workbook
Interact with workbook controls
Maximize data elements and view limited underlying data

Explore

Users with Can Explore access can:

View the workbook
Interact with workbook controls
Maximize data elements and explore underlying data with access to the editor panel

Edit

The primary purpose of Edit mode is to draft and publish changes to the workbook. Even if you have Can Edit access to a workbook, you may not always want to use it. If your goal is to explore your data without making longterm changes, we recommend staying in Explore mode.

Users with Can Edit access can:

View the workbook
Interact with workbook controls
Maximize data elements and explore underlying data with access to the editor panel and sidebar
Draft and publish changes in Edit mode
Add new elements in Edit mode
Preview drafted changes in Explore and View modes

Note: Organization admins have permissions beyond Can Edit access (e.g., embed creation & management).

Editor Panel in Explore vs. Edit

A workbook's editor panel is available in both Explore and Edit modes. However, there are a few key differences:

In Explore mode, the editor panel is accessible when an existing data element is maximized.
In Edit mode, the editor panel is accessible when a new or existing element is selected or maximized.

Explore mode:

Edit mode:

In Explore mode, the Properties and Format tabs are displayed at the top of the editor panel.
In Edit mode, additional tabs may be available depending on the selected element type, and they are displayed in the sidebar that expand/collapses to the left of the editor panel.

Explore mode:

Edit mode:

Open Edit Mode

New workbooks automatically open in Edit mode. Existing workbooks open in View or Explore mode, depending on ownership or the type of access granted.

If you own the workbook or have been granted Can Edit access to a shared workbook, you can open Edit mode.

Open the existing workbook.
In the workbook header, click Edit. The workbook is immediately editable, and the header displays the Editing status.

Note: If the header doesn't display an Edit button, you have Can View or Can Explore access and cannot open Edit mode.

Related Resources

Workbooks: An Overview
The Workbook Lifecycle: Exploration, Drafts & Publishing
Editing, Drafts & Publishing