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

# Share cost views

> Share a Costory Explorer view or cloud cost dashboard with a link, a public PNG snapshot, a PDF, or per-user Reader, Editor, and Can manage permissions.

You have a cost question answered in <Tooltip tip="Costory's main interface for exploring cloud costs across all connected providers." cta="See Glossary" href="/docs/glossary#cost-explorer">Explorer</Tooltip> or on a <Tooltip tip="A saved view made of one or more Explorer widgets." cta="See Glossary" href="/docs/glossary#dashboard">dashboard</Tooltip>, and you need someone else to see the same numbers. **Sharing** sends that exact view: filters, time window, and group-by, without asking the recipient to rebuild the query.

<Frame caption="A secure external link shows a PNG snapshot of the Explorer view, with a path back into Costory">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/costory/BaKtdJQejEXamw73/images/explorer-sharing.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BaKtdJQejEXamw73&q=85&s=7218b9d3f17f9c1122e28de5128aa03d" alt="Public Costory share page with a stacked cost chart, doughnut breakdown, and Open in Costory button" width="1675" height="931" data-path="images/explorer-sharing.png" />
</Frame>

## Overview

Use a **Link** when the recipient has a Costory login. The URL opens the live query. Use a **Secure external link** or a dashboard PDF when they do not.

New objects start private. You grant access per user, or you make a dashboard public to the organization. Recurring delivery still belongs in [Cost Reports](/features/slack-reports).

Typical cases:

* Paste an Explorer investigation into Slack so a teammate lands on the same filter and date range
* Give finance **Reader** access to a dashboard they should not edit
* Send a PNG snapshot to a stakeholder who will not log in
* Recover a dashboard after an accidental edit with [dashboard versions](#dashboard-versions)

## Key terms used in this article

* **Link**: a URL that opens the live query. The recipient must log in to Costory.
* **Secure external link**: a URL with a PNG snapshot of the current Explorer view. No login required.
* **Object permissions**: per-user **Reader**, **Editor**, or **Can manage** on a Costory object.

See the [Glossary](/docs/glossary) for a full list of terms.

## Choose a sharing method

| Goal                                                            | Method                                                                 | Login required                |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Send the exact Explorer query                                   | **Share → Link**                                                       | Yes                           |
| Send an Explorer chart to anyone                                | **Secure external link** (PNG snapshot)                                | No                            |
| Send dashboard top-bar context (where, dates, metric, group-by) | Dashboard **Share → Link**                                             | Yes                           |
| Share one widget                                                | **Share widget** or **Open in Explorer**, then share from Explorer     | Yes for the live query        |
| Send a dashboard to someone outside Costory                     | PDF export with a link back to the dashboard                           | No for the PDF                |
| Keep a living dashboard for a team                              | Public dashboard, or per-user **Reader** / **Editor** / **Can manage** | Yes                           |
| Recurring snapshot in Slack, Teams, or email                    | [Cost Reports](/features/slack-reports)                                | No for the delivered snapshot |

## Share an Explorer view

Explorer sharing is the path for a single investigation. The link stores the current **Where** clause, date range, and group-by.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Build the query">
    In [Explorer](/features/cost-explorer), set the metric, filters, date range, and group-by you want someone else to see.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open Share">
    Click **Share**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy a Link">
    Choose **Link**. The URL points at this exact view. A simple query opens in Explorer. A more complex query (multiple series, formulas) opens in Advanced Explorer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send the URL">
    Paste it in Slack, a ticket, or a pull request. The recipient must be able to log in to Costory and have permission to view the underlying data.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  After you change a widget on a dashboard, use **Open in Explorer** and share from there. The dashboard URL does not store per-widget edits.
</Tip>

### Secure external link

A **Secure external link** is a URL with a PNG snapshot of the current Explorer view. Anyone with the URL can open it. They do not need a Costory account.

<Frame caption="A secure external link unfurls in Slack as a snapshot of the Explorer chart">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/costory/0WD1AAdc_uIVll5h/images/quickshare.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=0WD1AAdc_uIVll5h&q=85&s=d695576da715bdfc339b17eccb64564b" alt="Slack message with a Costory Explorer share link and an unfurled PNG snapshot of the cost chart" width="1608" height="566" data-path="images/quickshare.png" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Share">
    From Explorer, click **Share**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Secure external link">
    Costory attaches a PNG of the view you are looking at.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send the URL">
    Paste it to anyone who needs the snapshot. The page is view-only.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Anyone with the URL can see the snapshot. Review filters and the date range before you create the link. Treat it like a public document link.
</Warning>

## Share a dashboard

The dashboard URL encodes what is set in the top bar: **Where** clause, date preset, metric, and group-by. It does not capture edits made on an individual widget.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set the top bar">
    Open the [dashboard](/features/dashboards) and set the filters, date preset, metric, and group-by you want the recipient to land on.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the link">
    Click **Share → Link**, or copy the dashboard URL from the address bar once those parameters are in it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send it to Costory users">
    Recipients need a login and permission on that dashboard. They see the saved widgets with the top-bar context you copied.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Share one widget

To change one widget and share that result:

1. Open the widget menu and click **Open in Explorer**. Costory takes the widget query, including your current edit, into Explorer.
2. Share from Explorer with **Link** or **Secure external link**.

**Share widget** still exists. Reopening a shared widget now lands in Explorer, not back on the dashboard. Use that when the recipient should investigate the query, not browse the rest of the dashboard.

### Save as copy

Use **Save as copy** for larger dashboard edits: adding widgets, changing layout, or trying a different breakdown without touching the original. The copy is a new dashboard. You grant access on the copy separately.

### External sharing for dashboards

For people outside Costory, export the dashboard as a **PDF**. The PDF includes a link back to the current dashboard context, so someone with access can open the live page after they read the snapshot.

For a scheduled PDF or image in Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email, use a [Cost Report](/features/slack-reports).

### Dashboard versions

Dashboards keep versions. Open the version history when someone saved a change by mistake, or when an older layout is the one you want to keep.

From a previous version you can:

* Revert the dashboard to that version
* Copy the old version as a new dashboard, then share that copy

<Tip>
  Copy as a new dashboard when you want the old layout back without discarding the current one.
</Tip>

## Who can view or edit

The same roles apply to every Costory object: dashboards, reports, alerts, and the rest of the workspace.

| Role           | Access                          |
| -------------- | ------------------------------- |
| **Reader**     | View the object                 |
| **Editor**     | View and edit                   |
| **Can manage** | Edit, and change who has access |

New objects are **private**. Only you can see them until you grant a user <Tooltip tip="Per-user access on a Costory object. Reader can view. Editor can view and edit. Can manage can edit and change who has access." cta="See Glossary" href="/docs/glossary#object-permissions">object permissions</Tooltip>, or you make a dashboard **public** so everyone in the organization can view it.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the object">
    Open the dashboard, report, or other object you want to share.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Grant access">
    Add a user and choose **Reader**, **Editor**, or **Can manage**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Or make a dashboard public">
    Use a public dashboard when the whole organization should be able to view it, without listing each person.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Stop using organization-wide admin rights as a way to share dashboards. Grant the people who need the view **Reader** or **Editor**, or make the dashboard public.

<Warning>
  Existing dashboards currently grant **Can manage** to organization admins, so access matches the previous model. That grant is there so current dashboards keep working. Do not add new sharing through it. Move each dashboard to a public dashboard or to explicit per-user roles.
</Warning>

Team scopes in [Teams](/features/teams) still pre-filter Explorer and dashboards. They do not replace object permissions. Grant the team members the role they need on each dashboard.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does the dashboard URL include edits I made on one widget?">
    No. Only the top bar is in the URL: where clause, date preset, metric, and group-by. To share a widget edit, use **Open in Explorer** and copy a **Link** from Explorer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where does Share widget open now?">
    In Explorer, with that widget's query. It no longer reopens the dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can someone without a Costory account open Share → Link?">
    No. **Link** requires login. Use a **Secure external link** from Explorer (PNG) or a dashboard PDF for people who will not log in.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I restore a dashboard after a bad edit?">
    Open dashboard versions. Revert to the version you want, or copy that version as another dashboard.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I still use Teams to share dashboards?">
    Use Teams for default metrics and cost scopes. Use object permissions (or a public dashboard) to decide who can view or edit. See [Teams](/features/teams).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related links

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Explorer" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/features/cost-explorer">
    Build the query you want to share.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dashboards" icon="chart-pie" href="/features/dashboards">
    Save recurring views, then share the dashboard or a widget.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cost Reports" icon="paper-plane" href="/features/slack-reports">
    Schedule snapshots to Slack, Teams, or email.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Teams" icon="users" href="/features/teams">
    Apply default scopes and metrics. Grant dashboard access on the object.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>