00:06Sound 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.
01:13Soft limits.
01:14But 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
01:26private. Let's start with the basics. Proton Docs is accessed through Proton Drive, so you'll
01:32need to know how to navigate this interface. First, log into your Proton Drive account. You can access
01:38this at drive.proton.me. From here, you can create new documents or manage your existing files. Notice
01:45the clean, organized layout. Everything is designed for productivity and 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 select New
02:02Document from the drop-down menu. Perfect! You now have a blank document. Notice it opens with a default
02:09name. To rename it, simply click on the document name in the top left corner and select Rename Document
02:15from the drop-down. Let's call this Q4 Strategy Document and hit enter. Now let's explore the
02:24editing features. Proton Docs has everything you need for professional document creation. The toolbar
02:30at the top contains all your formatting options. Let's go through the most important ones. I'll type
02:35some content so we can see the formatting in action. Basic text formatting works exactly as you'd expect.
02:42Bold, italic, and underline. You can also change text color and add highlight. You can create numbered lists,
02:50bullet points, or even checklists. These are perfect for organizing information. Adding links is simple.
02:58Select your text, click the link icon, and paste your URL. You can also insert images directly from your device.
03:07Just click the image icon and upload your file. Position your cursor where you want the table and click
03:19Insert Table in the toolbar. By default, you get a table with a highlighted header row. To add more rows
03:26or
03:26columns, hover over the edge of the table until you see a plus sign appear. Click it to add a
03:32new row or column.
03:33For more advanced options, hover over any cell and click the grid icon. This gives you options to
03:40duplicate rows, delete columns, clear contents, and more.
03:46You probably have existing documents you want to work with. Proton Drive makes this easy. From your main
03:52Proton Drive interface, you can drag and drop existing files directly into your Drive. I'll drag a Word
03:58document into Proton Drive. To edit the Word document in Proton Docs, right-click on it and select Open in
04:05Docs.
04:06Here's something important. When you edit an existing file in Proton Docs, it creates a copy in Proton
04:13format. Your original file stays untouched. Now for the really powerful stuff, Secure Collaboration.
04:22To share a document, click the Share button in the top right corner. You'll see a sharing dialog. Enter the
04:29email addresses of the people you want to collaborate with. You can give them either viewer or editor
04:35permissions. You can also add a personal message to explain what you're sharing and why. Click Share to
04:41send the invitations. Your collaborators will receive an email with a secure link to access the file.
04:47Here's the key difference from other platforms. That link is encrypted and only people with Proton
04:53accounts can access it. No 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
05:05the complete process. After I sent the invitation, my colleague received a secure email with a link to
05:12access the document. When my colleague clicks the link, they're taken to a secure page where they need
05:17to log in to their Proton account to access the document. Now when my colleague opens the document,
05:23I can see their presence indicator in the top right. It shows their initial, and if you click the initial,
05:29it jumps to their cursor's current position. For more formal collaboration, I can switch to
05:34suggesting mode by clicking the pencil icon. Now when I make changes, they appear as suggestions
05:40instead of direct edits. I can also add comments by selecting content and clicking the comment icon.
05:51Sometimes you need to change who has access to your files. Go to Shared and find your shared file.
05:57Click the three dots menu next to it. Select Manage Share to see all your collaborators. To change
06:04someone's permissions, click on their current role and select a new role. To remove someone's access
06:10entirely, select Remove Access. They'll immediately lose access to the file.
06:17Sometimes you need to share links with people who don't have Proton accounts. Public Links makes
06:23this possible. In the Share dialog, you'll see a Create Public Links section. Toggle this on to enable
06:29public sharing. A public link is generated that anyone can access. Copy this link and share it with
06:35your intended recipients. For added security, you can set an expiration date for the link or add
06:41password protection. And you can also stop sharing or remove the link whenever you need. Public Links
06:47are perfect for sharing non-sensitive files with clients, partners, or even a wider audience. But remember,
06:53even public links maintain end-to-end encryption. Proton Docs automatically saves version history so you
07:02can review or restore earlier versions. Click on the file name and select See Version History to see all
07:10previous versions. Browse through previous versions and choose to either Make a Copy to create a new file
07:16from that version or Restore this version to replace the current one. This is incredibly valuable for
07:23sensitive 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. Click
07:35on the document name. You can export documents in multiple formats. Word, PDF, HTML, Markdown, or plain text.
07:45This means you can work entirely in Proton, but still share files with people working in other
07:50platforms when necessary. Proton Docs isn't just another word processor. It's built for privacy-first
07:58collaboration. Proton ensures compliance with key regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and CPPA. And
08:06Switzerland's robust privacy framework provides an additional layer of legal protection for your
08:11content. Even Proton staff cannot read your documents. This level of security is essential for legal
08:17professionals, investigative journalists, medical practitioners, and anyone managing confidential
08:24information. Your 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. Bring a teammate into a
08:36collaborative project and see for yourself how seamless and protected real-time editing can be.
08:41With Proton Docs, you can maintain efficiency while preserving privacy. If this walkthrough
08:46clarified Proton Docs for you, please like this video and subscribe to our channel and activate
08:51notifications for more Proton content. Have questions about Proton Docs? Share them in the
08:56comments section. We review every comment and frequently we develop follow-up content based on
09:02your suggestions. Begin using Proton Docs today. Your confidential information will thank you.
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