Create, share, and collaborate privately with Docs in Proton Drive

Proton

Stop giving Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365 access to everything you write.   Proton Docs gives you a fully private, end-to-end encrypted document editor with real-time collaboration, so you can work with your team without sacrificing privacy.  In this complete tutorial, we’ll show you how to:  ✅ Create, edit, and organize secure documents in Proton Drive ✅ Import existing Word or Google Docs files and convert them to Proton Docs ✅ Collaborate securely with teammates in real time ✅ Share documents with Proton users or via secure public links ✅ Manage permissions, track version history, and export files when needed ✅ Stay compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, CPPA, and Swiss privacy laws  By the end of this video, you’ll know everything you need to replace big tech office suites and reclaim control over your data.  🔗 Try Proton Docs free today: https://drive.proton.me 📚 Need help? Explore our Help Center: https://proton.me/support

Transcript

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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