sharing sway in the design mode

Tracey Bird 0 Reputation points
2026-04-23T13:31:11.4266667+00:00

I want to share my Sway document but it is only sharing the Storyline version and the not the Design version

Microsoft 365 and Office | Sway | For education
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  1. Ana Le 2,435 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-23T14:09:34.88+00:00

    Hi @Tracey Bird,

    This behavior is actually by design in Microsoft Sway, not a bug. In Sway, there aren’t two separate versions of your content:

    • Storyline = the editing view (where you build and modify content)
    • Design = the presentation view (how it’s rendered for viewers)

    When you share a Sway, you’re always sharing the same underlying content. Sway will automatically display it in "Design" view for viewers. There isn’t a way to separately share a “Design version” as a different link.

    If someone is seeing the Storyline view, it usually means:

    • The link shared is an Edit link instead of a View link, or
    • The recipient has edit permissions, so Sway opens in editing mode for them

    To make sure others only see the Design (presentation) view, you can:

    1.  Open your Sway
    2. Click Share
    3. Choose “View” link (not Edit)
    4. Send that link to your audience

    You can also review the official guidance here:

    If the issue still happens after confirming you’re using a View link, feel free to share a screenshot of your sharing settings and what the recipient sees (please remove any personal information), and I can take a closer look.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-04-23T13:31:22.5566667+00:00

    Sway always shares the “Play” (finished) view of a Sway, not the authoring views. The two authoring views are:

    • Storyline – where content is added and arranged.
    • Design – where the applied style and layout are previewed while editing.

    When sharing, recipients see the Sway in Play mode, which is the presentation/finished output based on the current Design settings. It is not possible to share the Design authoring view itself; only the resulting Play view can be shared.

    To control how the shared Sway looks:

    1. Open the Sway and go to the Design tab.
    2. In Styles, choose the theme and layout (vertical scroll, horizontal scroll, or presentation).
    3. Use Play to preview exactly what viewers will see.
    4. Select Share on the top menu bar and choose the desired sharing option (view or edit link, depending on account type).

    Anyone opening the shared link will see the Sway in Play mode with the Design choices applied, but they cannot see the Design editing interface unless given edit access and they open the Sway in Sway itself.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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