Live collaboration
Invite friends into a private live editing session while the signed-in owner keeps the Project and its normal save workflow.
What you need
- The owner must sign in.
- The Project must use a fixed canvas no larger than 1024 × 1024.
- A session supports up to eight active editors, including the owner.
- Guests do not need accounts.
The Project may stay local or use optional 8bit Cloud. Cloud sync is not required for collaboration.
Start a session
- Choose Start drawing together on the collaboration page, or open an eligible Project and choose Collaborate in the editor.
- Create an account or sign in if prompted. Guests do not need accounts.
- Choose Create lobby & link.
- Copy the private invitation link and share it with up to seven guests.
- Keep the owner's editor open while the session is active.
Guest editing
Guests can draw and take part in supported pixel, layer, frame, timing, ordering, tag, and Project-name changes. Same-frame cursors show who is working nearby.
While attached, unsupported whole-Project actions such as replacing the Project, resizing, cropping, transforms, expandable conversion, merge, flatten, and Stamp configuration are unavailable.
Saving and ownership
The signed-in host remains the only Project owner. Accepted changes become part of the host's normal local Project, and local autosave remains the durable save path.
If 8bit Cloud is enabled, the Project keeps its existing automatic, delayed, manual, or paused sync mode. Collaboration does not create a separate Cloud Project or make publishing automatic.
Guests cannot access Cloud history, publish, export, or keep the shared room as one of their normal Projects.
Disconnects and ending
If the host disconnects, guests pause immediately. The same signed-in host has a short window to reconnect; otherwise the room closes and the invitations stop working.
Guest changes that have not yet been accepted remain Pending on that guest's device while it reconnects. Choose End session to finish the host's local save, close the room, and remove guests.
See 8bit Cloud sync for cross-device versions and recovery, or visit Draw with friends for the public collaboration overview.