Reading with colleagues who don’t use the repository
You keep the docs in GitHub. Your colleagues read them in Docpane, with no GitHub account or know-how needed.
Document reader for teams
Reader-friendly web access to your docs.
Find and read Markdown (.md), DOCX, and PDF docs from GitHub with your team, right in the browser.
GitHub is available today. Support for Google Drive and other sources is planned.
Use cases
When the people who write the docs aren’t the ones reading them
For teams whose colleagues or clients keep checking docs that live in a repository.
Keeping up with docs that change
Instead of resending files after every edit, invited members open the same URL and see the latest version.
Reading work docs on the go
Find and read meeting notes, design docs, and reports in the browser, on the move or right before a meeting.
Reading
Find it, read it, get back to it
Find the doc you need before a meeting, read it on the way, and come back to the right spot next time.
Find the right doc and section
Search file names and text, and jump to any section from the contents. Full-text search works in file types with readable text.
Read comfortably on small screens
Adjust text size, line spacing, text width, and theme. Open wide tables in their own zoomed view.
Pick up where you left off
Reopen recently viewed docs and favorites. Pin a paragraph to jump straight back to it next time.
See what changed since you last read
Spot updated docs, and compare earlier and current versions of GitHub docs side by side.
Markdown viewer, DOCX, PDF, and more
- Read in Docpane
- MarkdownDOCXPPTXXLSXPDFHTMLTXTPNGJPG
- Download original
- CSVJSONPPTXLS
PPTX files show slide text, tables, images, and speaker notes in a reading view, and XLSX files show sheet tables. Original layouts and chart designs aren’t reproduced exactly. PDFs open in the built-in viewer, and scripts in HTML files don’t run.
Principles
Keep how you write. Focus on reading.
Keep writing and managing docs in the tools you already use. Docpane focuses on helping your team find and read them.
- Originals stay where they are
- Your repository stays the source of truth for docs and their history. There’s no need to move docs into Docpane or maintain a separate copy.
- The latest version whenever you open a doc
- Opening or refreshing a doc in a library checks for the latest version. Version history shows the past version you choose, and a share link shows the version from when the link was created.
- Built for reading
- Docpane doesn’t edit documents. Writers keep editing in their usual tools, and readers focus on finding and reading.
Access and sharing
Choose who reads, and for how long
Invite the people you read with to a library. To pass along a single document, use a share link that expires.
Members for each library
A library is a set of docs you read together. Invite or remove members library by library. Members sign in to Docpane and don’t need an account for the source repository.
Share one doc for a set time
When an owner allows it, signed-in members can create share links. Recipients can view that one document without signing in, as it was when the link was created. Links last from 1 hour to 7 days, and the creator or an owner can remove a link before it expires.
Read-only repository access
You grant the GitHub App read access to the repositories you choose. Docpane doesn’t modify your original documents.
Access log
Library owners can see a record of views, version comparisons, and downloads. Each entry includes the time, IP address, and the member account or share link used. Records that identify a person are kept for 13 months, then deleted.
Get started
Start with the docs your team already reads
Sign up with Google, then connect a GitHub repository. No need to move your docs or prepare a separate copy.
Connect a repository
Sign up with Google, then install Docpane Reader on GitHub. Choose the repository, branch, and folder to show.
Invite the people you read with
Enter someone’s email to create an invite link, then send it to them yourself. They open the link to sign up or sign in.
Come back to the same URL
Share a doc’s URL with members. After the original changes, the same URL shows the latest version.
With “This computer” in Settings, you can open Markdown and text files. Their contents aren’t sent to our servers. They’re read only in that browser and aren’t shared with your team.
Start with the doc you need for your next meeting
Connect a repository and invite the colleagues you read with.