> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.peernotes.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sharing and privacy in PeerNotes: private by default, shared by choice

> Every thought, note, and source in PeerNotes starts private. Share any item with your workspace with one toggle, set per-type defaults, and bring collaborators into a note.

Everything you create in PeerNotes — every [thought](/core-concepts/thoughts), [note](/core-concepts/notes), and [source](/core-concepts/sources) — starts **private to you**. Nothing reaches your teammates until you decide it should. Sharing is one toggle, it works the same way for all three types, and it's always reversible.

## Share an item with your workspace

Each thought, note, and source has a **Share with workspace** control — on its card in the feed, and on the item itself when you open it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Turn on Share with workspace">
    The item moves from private to shared. Its control now reads *"Shared with workspace — click to unshare."*
  </Step>

  <Step title="Teammates can now see and comment">
    It appears in the **Shared** view of that feed for every member, and anyone can comment on it or mention a teammate in it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Unshare whenever you want">
    Toggle it back off and the item is private again. Sharing isn't a commitment — widen or narrow it as the thinking develops.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Sharing controls who can **see** an item. It doesn't let others edit it — for that, see [collaborators](#bring-collaborators-into-a-note) below.
</Info>

## Set your sharing defaults

By default, every new thought, note, and source is private. If you'd rather share a whole type automatically, set it in [Preferences → Sharing](/features/preferences#sharing) — independently for **Thoughts**, **Notes**, and **Sources**.

A common setup: notes shared by default (you write them for the team), thoughts and sources private (your raw material). You can still flip any individual item the other way.

## Bring collaborators into a note

Sharing lets the workspace **read** a note. **Collaborators** let specific people **edit** it with you.

* Open the note's **share panel** and add people by email.
* Collaborators can open the note, see the latest draft, and contribute their own edits.
* Adding a collaborator shares the note with the workspace automatically.

Collaborators are notes-only — see [Collaborating on notes](/features/collaborators) for how to use them well.

## What stays private

A private thought, note, or source is yours alone — no teammate can see it, and it never appears in a Shared view. Your teammates only ever see:

* items you've turned **Share with workspace** on for, and
* notes you've added them to as **collaborators**.

<Warning>
  Sharing an item also makes its comment thread and any `@mentions` visible to the workspace. If a note is still rough, keep it private (or scoped to collaborators) until it's ready for wider eyes.
</Warning>

## Related

* [Collaborators](/features/collaborators) — invite people to edit a note
* [Comments & mentions](/features/comments) — sharing an item enables discussion on it
* [Working as a team](/guides/team)