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Limit what someone can see

A share limits what someone can see to the folders you choose: a whole library, an author, a series or a single book. Give someone a share and they see only those books. You build shares in People > Shares in the admin console, as an admin.

To give someone a whole library, you don't need a share: pick the library when you invite them, or use Give access on their Access tab.

The Shares page

How access works​

  • Someone you invite sees nothing until you give them something. The invite dialog asks what they can listen to.
  • Admins see everything. Shares never limit an admin.
  • Shares add up. Someone with two shares sees everything either one covers.
  • Sharing a folder shares everything under it, including books you add there later.
  • Access is read-only. A share lets someone listen, never change or delete your files.

A household member also gets what the person who added them chooses.

Creating a share​

  1. Click New share.
  2. Give it a name, like Kids, and click Create share.
  3. Click Add a folder, pick the Library, and open folders until you find the one you want.
  4. Click Add this folder (or Add next to a folder or book).
  5. Under People with this share, click Add person for each person.

You can also add books from Library > Books: select them and choose Add to share, or use Add to a share on a book's page (see Books and metadata).

Changes take effect straight away. Remove a folder or person with the ✕ beside it. The share's ⋯ menu has Rename and Delete share. Deleting a share touches no files, and people's progress is kept.

What the listener sees​

A share filters the person's whole view of the server, and the server checks every play, cover and download against it.

  • Browsing shows only their shared folders. Folders above a shared folder stay visible so they can find it, but show nothing else.
  • Search and book lists only show books they can see.
  • If their folders are all in one library, they see only that library.

Examples​

A kids' share. Make a share called Kids. Add the author folders that suit them, say Roald Dahl and Terry Pratchett. Add each child's account. New books you add under those folders appear for them automatically.

One series for a friend. Make a share called Expanse for Sam and add the series folder. Then invite them and choose that share under What can they listen to?.

tip

Name shares after who they are for (Kids, Book club) rather than what is in them. The folders will change; the purpose won't.

Good to know​

  • Whole-library access appears under Whole libraries on the Shares page. Change who has it from each person's Access tab.
  • Share a book by its own folder (or file), not a folder inside it. A share holding only one disc folder, or one file of a multi-file book, doesn't give access to the book (see Books split into disc folders).