Sharing Workbooks with People Who Don't Have Tableau Desktop

Published: 17 Apr 2013
Last Modified Date: 21 Apr 2023

Question

How to share workbooks with people who do not have Tableau Desktop.

Environment

Tableau Server
Tableau Cloud
Tableau Reader
Tableau Public

Answer

Workbooks can be shared with people who do not have Tableau Desktop in the following ways:

Publish the workbook to Tableau Server. Tableau Server provides browser-based analytics. After publishing your workbook to Tableau Server, others with a Tableau Server account can sign in to see your workbook. A trial version of Tableau Server can be downloaded from the Tableau Server Product page.
Email the workbook and open it in Tableau Reader. Email a packaged workbook (.twbx) which includes a snapshot of the data. The workbook must be packaged to include the data for Tableau Reader viewing. Tableau Reader is a free application that can be used to open and see workbooks that have been built in Tableau Desktop. For more information about Tableau Reader, refer to the Tableau Reader Product page.
Save the workbook to Tableau Public. After publishing a workbook to Tableau Public, anyone with a link to the workbook can see the contents. Workbooks and the underlying data saved to Tableau Public are accessible to the public. For information on Tableau Public, refer to the Tableau Public Product page.
Publish the workbook to Tableau Cloud. Tableau Cloud lets you view and share dashboards from anywhere including native mobile apps, from the Web or on a tablet. Only authorized users can interact with data and dashboards. Use single sign-on to make security easy for trusted users. A trial version of Tableau Cloud can be requested from the Tableau Cloud Product page. Simply click on "Try Tableau For Free" to receive a new Cloud trial link. The default trial experience is now Tableau Cloud.