Use public workspaces
Browse and manage shared public workspace content when your tenant enables it.
What this does
Public workspaces make selected documents and prompts available through a shared workspace surface. This guide selects a public workspace, browses documents, and uses filters, tags, and chat actions where your role permits.
Video planned
Use public workspaces walkthrough
Recording planned. Show use public workspaces end to end and explain why this task helps a user.
To publish this video:
- Upload the recording to YouTube or Microsoft Stream.
- Save a poster frame as
docs/images/video-posters/guide-use-public-workspaces.png. - Add the watch URL to
this slotindocs/_data/media.yml.
Why you would use this
Use public workspaces for curated materials intended for a broad audience, such as reference libraries, policies, onboarding packs, or published knowledge collections. They reduce duplicate uploads; use group workspaces instead when membership or contribution must be tighter.
Before you start
- Admins must enable
enable_public_workspaces; creation may requirerequire_member_of_create_public_workspace; see Workspaces settings. - Your role determines whether you can upload, manage prompts, tag documents, or only browse.
- Downloads and File Sync for public workspaces have separate admin controls.
Steps
- Open Public Workspaces.
- Use Select a workspace… to choose the public workspace.
- Review the role indicator.
- On Documents, use Show Search/Filters to search by file name, title, classification, author, keywords, abstract, or tags.
- Switch between List, Cards, Folders, and Folders + Cards views as needed.
- If permitted, upload files, select documents, use Chat with Selected, or manage prompts from Prompts.
Verify it worked
The selected public workspace shows owner, description, role, documents, and prompts. A chat started with selected documents uses public workspace files as context.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You cannot upload or manage prompts | Your role does not allow management | Ask the public workspace owner to update your role. |
| Public workspace navigation is missing | Public workspaces are disabled | Ask an admin to enable enable_public_workspaces. |