How to Give Read-Only Access to a Microsoft Loop Page or Component

By design, Loop is meant to be a collaborative space where users can easily create/edit/delete content and co-author it in real time. However, there are plenty of use cases where you just want to simply share a page or a component with someone in read-only mode. An example could be a project status report maintained on a Loop Page or an article from the knowledge base/troubleshooting guide. Let me explain how to share Loop content in read-only mode easily.

How to share a Loop page in read-only mode

1. As a starting point, Mary and I are members of the Loop Workspace. As such, both of us have Edit rights to all the pages within the workspace. I am trying to add John, who is not part of the workspace, to one of the Loop pages.
2. To share a Loop Page in read-only mode, click on Share > Page Link in the upper-right-hand corner of the Loop Page.
3. By default, it will generate the Edit link. To adjust it further, click on Settings.
4. Choose the people you want to share the Loop Page with, but most importantly, change Can edit to Can view down below. Click Apply.
5. Share the copied link with the recipient. When they access the Loop Page, they will receive the following warning.

How to share a Loop Component in read-only mode

1. If you decide to share a Loop Component rather than the entire page with others in read-only mode, that is possible as well. To do so, click on Copy component in the upper-right-hand corner of the Loop Component.
2. Once again, you will get a generic Link copied interface. Click Settings.
3. Specify the users you want to share the Loop Component with, and make sure to change Can edit to Can view. Click Apply.
4. When the recipient tries to access the link shared, he will receive a Read-Only warning message.

Nuances on Read-Only Access in Microsoft Loop

• While you can share Loop Pages and Loop Components in read-only mode, you cannot share the entire workspace in read-only mode, as it only has Editor or Owner permission levels.

• If you paste the read-only link for a Loop Component in Teams or Outlook, the recipient will get the same read-only experience.
  
• Read-only recipients cannot share Loop pages or Loop components with others (i.e., invite others to the content they were invited to).

Use Cases for read-only mode in Microsoft Loop

There are plenty of use cases for read-only access in Microsoft Loop. Here are a few from my experience.

• Meeting Agenda automatically generated during the Teams meeting
• Project Status Report Loop Page
• Project Closure Report Loop Page
• Knowledge Base/Wiki maintained in Loop