Is my Claude artifact public? What happens when you share

When Claude makes something for you, it is private by default. But it is easy to share it by accident if you do not know how the settings work.

Why this matters

An artifact is something Claude makes that sits alongside the conversation. It could be a document, a web page, a chart or a small app. It might contain business information, customer names or ideas you are testing. Knowing who can see it lets you share safely.

How it works

The Claude Help Center says artifacts start private to you. Nobody else can see them unless you share them.

To share one you use the Share dialog. For artifacts made in the new Claude experience, the people you share with need a Claude account. People without one cannot open it, even if they have the link.

When sharing you choose what people can do. Claude Docs can be view or edit. Claude Design and Slides can be view, comment or edit. Other artifacts can be view or edit.

Older chat artifacts worked differently. They could be published, which lets anyone with the link view them without a Claude account. Unpublishing is permanent. The same artifact cannot be published again and its stored data is deleted.

Claude Code sessions (a separate workspace where Claude can write and run code) have their own sharing setting. On Pro and Max plans the choices are Private or Public. Public means any logged-in Claude user with the link can see it. Anthropic advises checking a session for sensitive content, such as code or passwords, before sharing.

How to do it

1. Ask Claude to make something. For example:

> Make a simple table showing three tasks I need to finish this week, with columns for task, deadline and status.

1. Claude will create an artifact alongside the chat.

1. Look for the Share button on the artifact.

1. Click Share and choose who can access it.

1. Decide what they can do: view, comment or edit.

1. Copy the link and send it only to people you want to see it.

For Claude Code sessions, check the sharing setting before you copy the link. If it is set to Public, anyone logged in to Claude who has the link can see the session.

Common mistakes

Sharing a link without checking the permission level. If you set it to edit by mistake, someone could change the artifact and you might not notice.

Thinking a private artifact is completely hidden once you have the link. It is private only until you use the Share dialog. After that it depends on the setting you chose.

Publishing an old artifact and then changing your mind. Unpublishing is permanent. You cannot make it public again, even if you want to.

Forgetting that Claude Code sessions need their own check. A private chat does not make the code session private.

Assuming people without a Claude account can open your link. For new artifacts they cannot. Only older published artifacts worked that way.

One thing to try this week

Ask Claude to make a simple document or table for you. Before you share it, open the Share dialog and look at the options. Set it to view only. Send the link to yourself at another email address and check what you can and cannot do.

Say a small design business asks Claude to draft a project timeline. Before sharing it with a client, they set the permission to view only. The client can see the plan but cannot change the dates or tasks. That way the business keeps control of the final version.

The Claude Help Center has the full detail on sharing and publishing.

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