Loading guide…
Loading guide content…
Give another teacher a starting design they can customize in their own workspace. Create a template link, check the preview, and manage sharing while keeping your original board.
About 8 minutesSeller plan to shareEditable copies
1. Choose a template for an editable starting point
Template sharing is available on the Seller plan. Anyone with the active link can preview the design and, after signing in to BoardCraft, make a copy in their own workspace. The recipient does not need Seller just to copy a template, but their account's board limit still applies.
A template works well for a classroom title, seasonal display, name-tag layout, or reusable board arrangement. Recipients can change wording, colors, and layout in their copy without changing yours.
The URL can be forwarded. It does not restrict access to named recipients, so share only a design you are comfortable making available to anyone who receives the link. The link gives access to this template's preview and copy action, not permission to edit your original board or browse your account.
For a finished picture or printable document, choose an export instead. See Which BoardCraft Export Should I Use? for PNG, PDF, Print Pack, and Asset Bundle options.
2. Prepare a reusable board
Give the board a descriptive title. The template preview uses this title, and a recipient's new board adds (Copy).
Check board size, spelling, and the arrangement of elements. Use sample wording or blank spaces wherever recipients should add their own details.
Review the whole design for student names, classroom details, and uploaded photographs that should not be distributed.
Save the board and resolve any editing conflict before turning on sharing.
Enabling sharing from the editor saves the board first. A failed save or unresolved conflict prevents the sharing action from completing. If you open sharing from the dashboard, it uses the board that is already saved.
Use Save Your Board and Resolve Editing Conflicts if saving needs attention.
Remove unwanted content rather than hiding it. Hidden pieces remain in the editable template and its copies even when they do not appear in the preview thumbnail. Check Layers for personal or unfinished material before enabling the link.
3. Add an optional Template guide
As the Seller owner, open Template guide from the editor toolbar or the board menu. Instructions help recipients customize the design and appear in the editor.
Write General instructions. Explain what to change first, any suggested colors, and how to prepare the display.
Add instructions for a piece. Select one piece or group, then choose Add instruction from the selection toolbar. Enter its Piece name and Instructions. Use Edit instruction to revise an existing note.
Choose Save guide. Wait for Instructions saved. Save changes to the board artwork as well before sharing.
Check Preview as buyer. Review the read-only instructions and use Select piece to locate the artwork a note describes. Choose Back to editing to revise the guide.
4. Open Template Sharing and turn it on
You can reach the same Template Sharing dialog from either place:
Starting point | Sharing is off | Sharing is already on |
|---|---|---|
Editor toolbar | Share Template | Share Template |
Editor board menu | Share as template | Manage template link |
Dashboard board card menu | Share Template | Manage Template |
When the toolbar has less room, the action can move into Export & Share → Share Template. The board menu and dashboard card menu provide the other entry points.
In the editor, open the board menu at the top of the workspace and look under
5. Copy and test the template URL
Select Copy link. The button briefly changes to Copied. If copying fails, select the text in the Template URL field and copy it manually.
Select Open preview. Check the board title, size label, and preview image.
For a recipient view, open the copied URL in a signed-out or private browser window. Confirm that the intended design appears and the page offers Make a Copy.
Share this template URL wherever you intend recipients to find it, with a short explanation of the design and how to make a copy.
When BoardCraft recognizes you as the owner, the preview offers Open Board so you can return to the original. This is expected; other visitors see Make a Copy.
Copy the URL from Template Sharing rather than the editor's address bar. An editor URL points to your original board and does not provide the template-copy flow.
6. Help recipients make their own copy
Recipients open the link and choose Make a Copy. Signed-out visitors are asked to sign in. BoardCraft carries the copy request through sign-in and any required account verification, then attempts the copy automatically when the account is ready. If a message appears, resolve it before retrying.
After copying succeeds, BoardCraft opens the new board in the recipient's editor. The copy keeps the template's board size, background, and reusable elements. It belongs to the recipient, has a title ending in (Copy), and starts without one of your folders. If the template has saved instructions, its guide is included with the copy.
The recipient can rename, edit, and save this board. Their copy does not automatically become a shared template. Creating a copy also does not subscribe it to future changes from your original.
A Free account can hold up to 10 boards. If that limit is reached, the copy action displays a board-limit message and an upgrade or available trial option. Recipients should check their account's available space before copying.
7. Save changes for future copies
To improve a shared design, edit your original board and save it. While sharing is active, saving refreshes the template that future recipients copy. You can keep distributing the same active URL; ordinary design changes do not require a new link.
Open the preview again after saving and check the wording and appearance. If the preview image has not caught up yet, allow the update to finish and reload the preview.
Guide edits use Save guide. Enabling or regenerating sharing from the editor also saves pending guide edits before updating the link. Check both the artwork and guide after changes. Boards and guide versions already copied by recipients remain independent.
8. Pause sharing or replace the link
Reopen Template Sharing to manage the URL. Choose the action that matches what you want to happen:
Action | What happens |
|---|---|
Turn off sharing | The link becomes inactive. Your original and recipients' existing copies remain. The dialog retains the saved URL. |
Turn on template sharing again | The same saved URL becomes live again. People who already have it can use it again. |
Regenerate link | A new active URL replaces the previous one. Copy and distribute the new URL; the old URL stops working. |
Use Turn off sharing for a pause. Use Regenerate link when you want to replace the URL already in circulation. Regenerating does not retrieve or remove copies made earlier.
After changing the state, check the status badge and test the relevant URL. An inactive or replaced link shows Template not found and This template has been taken down.
9. Resolve common sharing problems
The sharing action does not complete: check Seller access, retry a failed save, and resolve any editing conflict.
The preview says Template not found: verify that sharing is on and copy the current URL. The old link may have been regenerated. Active template access also requires the owner's current Seller access.
A recipient cannot copy: ask them to sign in, check their board limit, and reopen the current template URL.
The owner sees Open Board: test in a signed-out window to see the visitor action.
Instructions do not appear: confirm the guide was saved and open Template guide. Check Show instructions when selecting pieces if you expect notes to appear automatically.
