The Problem: High-Frequency Friction in Link Sharing
Currently, in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, copying a document link requires a multi-step process:
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Navigate to the Share button.
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Click the Dropdown arrow (or open the full Share modal).
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Click Copy Link.
For enterprise users who share hundreds of links weekly via email, Slack, or project management tools, these “extra clicks” represent a significant micro-friction that interrupts workflow.
The Proposed Solution
I propose adding a dedicated “Copy Link” icon (the standard chain-link symbol) immediately to the left of the “Share” button in the top-right header.
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Primary Action: One click copies the link to the clipboard using the current existing permissions.
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Secondary Action (Optional): A hover state could briefly show the current access level (e.g., “Restricted” or “Anyone with link”).
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Result: This decouples “Managing Permissions” (The Share Button) from “Distributing the Document” (The Link Button).
Why This Matters for Enterprise
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Data-Driven Validation: I suggest the product team pull telemetry on the ratio of “Copy Link” clicks versus “Manage Permissions” clicks. For many power users, the permissions are set once, but the link is copied dozens of times.
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Cumulative Time Savings: Across an enterprise with 10,000+ employees, saving 2 seconds per share action scales into hundreds of hours of reclaimed productivity annually.
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UI Consistency: This aligns with other modern productivity stacks that have realized “Sharing” and “Copying” are distinct user intents.
Call to Action
I would love to see a pilot of this UI change. It’s a small footprint update that offers an enormous “Quality of Life” improvement for the global Workspace user base.
