00:00Sound familiar? You need to collaborate, share, and store documents securely. But you can't risk
00:12your sensitive data being scanned, analyzed, or accessed by big tech companies. That's where
00:17Proton's Secure Workspace comes in. With Proton Docs, you get collaborative document editing
00:23with end-to-end encryption, so you can work together and securely share and store the
00:27docs you create without compromising privacy. Before we dive into this tutorial, make sure
00:34to subscribe to our channel and hit that notification bell. Today, I'm going to show you everything
00:38you need to know to use Proton Docs effectively, from creating your first documents to collaborating
00:44securely with your team. Here's what most people don't realize about document collaboration.
00:51Every time you use Google Docs or Office 365, you're essentially giving those companies
00:56access to read everything you write. Proton Docs uses zero-access encryption, which means
01:02your documents are encrypted before they even leave your device. Proton can't read them,
01:07governments can't subpoena them, hackers can't access them, and big tech can't scan
01:12the data for training AI.
01:14Soft limits.
01:15But here's the thing, it works like any other Office Suite. You get real-time collaboration,
01:19commenting, suggestion modes, and all the features you expect. The only difference is, it's actually
01:24private.
01:27Let's start with the basics. Proton Docs is accessed through Proton Drive, so you'll need
01:32to know how to navigate this interface. First, log into your Proton Drive account. You can
01:37access this at drive.proton.me. From here, you can create new documents or manage your
01:43existing files. Notice the clean, organized layout. Everything is designed for productivity
01:49and security.
01:52Let's create a document. The process is pretty straightforward, but there's a few things you
01:56should know. To create a new document, click the New button in the top left corner. Then
02:01select New Document from the drop-down menu.
02:04Perfect. You now have a blank document. Notice it opens with a default name. To rename it, simply
02:11click on the document name in the top left corner and select Rename Document from the drop-down.
02:16Let's call this Q4 Strategy Document and hit Enter.
02:20Now let's explore the editing features. Proton Docs has everything you need for professional
02:28document creation. The toolbar at the top contains all your formatting options. Let's go through the
02:33most important ones. I'll type some content so we can see the formatting in action.
02:38Basic text formatting works exactly as you'd expect. Bold, italic, and underline. You can
02:44also change text color and add highlight. You can create numbered lists, bullet points,
02:53or even checklists. These are perfect for organizing information.
02:57Adding links is simple. Select your text, click the link icon, and paste your URL.
03:03You can also insert images directly from your device. Just click the image icon and upload your file.
03:10Position your cursor where you want the table and click Insert Table in the toolbar. By default,
03:22you get a table with a highlighted header row. To add more rows or columns, hover over the edge of the
03:29table until you see a plus sign appear. Click it to add a new row or column. For more advanced options,
03:35hover over any cell and click the grid icon. This gives you options to duplicate rows, delete columns,
03:43clear contents, and more.
03:46You probably have existing documents you want to work with. Proton Drive makes this easy. From your main Proton Drive interface,
03:53you can drag and drop existing files directly into your Drive. I'll drag a Word document into Proton Drive.
04:00To edit the Word document in Proton Docs, right-click on it and select Open in Docs.
04:06Here's something important. When you edit an existing file in Proton Docs, it creates a copy in Proton format.
04:14Your original file stays untouched. Now for the really powerful stuff, secure collaboration.
04:23To share a document, click the Share button in the top right corner. You'll see a sharing dialog.
04:28Enter the email addresses of the people you want to collaborate with. You can give them either viewer or editor permissions.
04:36You can also add a personal message to explain what you're sharing and why. Click Share to send the invitations.
04:43Your collaborators will receive an email with a secure link to access the file.
04:48Here's the key difference from other platforms. That link is encrypted and only people with Proton accounts can access it.
04:55No one else can see your files, not even Proton.
05:00Let's see collaboration in action. I've invited my colleague to edit the document. So let's follow the complete process.
05:07After I sent the invitation, my colleague received a secure email with a link to access the document.
05:13When my colleague clicks the link, they're taken to a secure page where they need to log in to their Proton account to access the document.
05:20Now when my colleague opens the document, I can see their presence indicator in the top right.
05:26It shows their initial and if you click the initial, it jumps to their cursor's current position.
05:31For more formal collaboration, I can switch to suggesting mode by clicking the pencil icon.
05:36Now when I make changes, they appear as suggestions instead of direct edits.
05:41I can also add comments by selecting content and clicking the comment icon.
05:46Sometimes you need to change who has access to your files. Go to Shared and find your shared file. Click the three dots menu next to it.
05:59Select Manage Shared to see all your collaborators.
06:02To change someone's permissions, click on their current role and select a new role.
06:08To remove someone's access entirely, select Remove Access. They'll immediately lose access to the file.
06:15Sometimes you need to share links with people who don't have Proton accounts.
06:21Public Links makes this possible.
06:23In the Share dialog, you'll see a Create Public Links section.
06:27Toggle this on to enable public sharing.
06:30A public link is generated that anyone can access.
06:33Copy this link and share it with your intended recipients.
06:36For added security, you can set an expiration date for the link or add password protection.
06:43And you can also stop sharing or remove the link whenever you need.
06:47Public Links are perfect for sharing non-sensitive files with clients, partners, or even a wider audience.
06:53But remember, even Public Links maintain end-to-end encryption.
06:59Proton Docs automatically saves version history so you can review or restore earlier versions.
07:05Click on the file name and select See Version History to see all previous versions.
07:11Browse through previous versions and choose to either make a copy to create a new file from that version,
07:17or restore this version to replace the current one.
07:21This is incredibly valuable for sensitive documents where you may need to track changes or recover from mistakes.
07:30Finally, let's cover how to export your files when you need to share them outside of Proton.
07:35Click on the document name.
07:37You can export documents in multiple formats.
07:39Word, PDF, HTML, Markdown, or Plain Text.
07:45This means you can work entirely in Proton, but still share files with people working in other platforms when necessary.
07:53Proton Docs isn't just another word processor.
07:57It's built for privacy-first collaboration.
07:59Proton ensures compliance with key regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and CPPA.
08:05And Switzerland's robust privacy framework provides an additional layer of legal protection for your content.
08:12Even Proton's staff cannot read your documents.
08:15This level of security is essential for legal professionals, investigative journalists, medical practitioners,
08:22and anyone managing confidential information.
08:25Your confidential documents shouldn't be mined for data by surveillance capitalism.
08:30Head over to drive.proton.me now and create your first secure document.
08:35Bring a teammate into a collaborative project and see for yourself how seamless and protected real-time editing can be.
08:42With Proton Docs, you can maintain efficiency while preserving privacy.
08:46If this walkthrough clarified Proton Docs for you, please like this video and subscribe to our channel
08:51and activate notifications for more Proton content.
08:54Have questions about Proton Docs? Share them in the comments section.
08:57We review every comment and frequently we develop follow-up content based on your suggestions.
09:03Begin using Proton Docs today.
09:05Your confidential information will thank you.
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