How to Build a Share Sheet in SwiftUI

iOS 17+ Xcode 16+ Beginner APIs: ShareLink Updated: May 11, 2026

TL;DR

Use ShareLink — a built-in SwiftUI view — to present the native iOS share sheet. Pass any Transferable value (String, URL, Image, or your own type) as the item parameter and SwiftUI handles the rest.

import SwiftUI

struct ContentView: View {
    let url = URL(string: "https://soarias.com")!

    var body: some View {
        ShareLink(item: url) {
            Label("Share Soarias", systemImage: "square.and.arrow.up")
        }
    }
}

Full implementation

ShareLink was introduced in iOS 16 and significantly improved in iOS 17 with better Transferable support and preview customisation. The example below demonstrates sharing a URL, a plain string, and a custom subject line — all the options you'll reach for in a real app. A SharePreview is included so the share sheet shows a rich title and icon instead of a raw URL.

import SwiftUI

// MARK: - Main view demonstrating three common share patterns

struct ShareSheetDemoView: View {
    // 1. A URL to share
    private let articleURL = URL(string: "https://soarias.com/swiftui/how-to-build-share-sheet/")!

    // 2. A plain string message
    private let message = "Check out this SwiftUI share-sheet guide on Soarias!"

    // 3. Subject line for email / Notes clients that support it
    private let subject = "SwiftUI Share Sheet Guide"

    var body: some View {
        NavigationStack {
            List {
                // — Pattern 1: Share a URL with a rich preview —
                Section("Share a URL") {
                    ShareLink(
                        item: articleURL,
                        preview: SharePreview(
                            subject,
                            image: Image(systemName: "safari")
                        )
                    ) {
                        Label("Share article link", systemImage: "link")
                    }
                }

                // — Pattern 2: Share plain text —
                Section("Share text") {
                    ShareLink(item: message) {
                        Label("Share a message", systemImage: "text.bubble")
                    }
                }

                // — Pattern 3: Share URL + subject (great for email) —
                Section("Share with subject") {
                    ShareLink(
                        item: articleURL,
                        subject: Text(subject),
                        message: Text(message)
                    ) {
                        Label("Share with subject line", systemImage: "envelope")
                    }
                }

                // — Pattern 4: Fully custom button appearance —
                Section("Custom button") {
                    ShareLink(item: articleURL) {
                        HStack {
                            Image(systemName: "square.and.arrow.up.circle.fill")
                                .font(.title2)
                                .foregroundStyle(.blue)
                            VStack(alignment: .leading) {
                                Text("Share this guide")
                                    .font(.headline)
                                Text("Tap to open the share sheet")
                                    .font(.caption)
                                    .foregroundStyle(.secondary)
                            }
                        }
                        .padding(.vertical, 4)
                    }
                    .accessibilityLabel("Share the SwiftUI share sheet guide")
                }
            }
            .navigationTitle("Share Sheet Examples")
        }
    }
}

#Preview {
    ShareSheetDemoView()
}

How it works

ShareLink is a button, not a modifier. You place it directly in your view hierarchy like any other SwiftUI control. When tapped, it internally calls UIActivityViewController and presents the native iOS share sheet — no .sheet or state boolean required.
The item parameter accepts any Transferable value. Both String and URL already conform to Transferable out of the box, so you can pass them directly without any extra conformances.
SharePreview enriches the sheet header. The preview: parameter (Pattern 1 above) supplies the title and thumbnail shown at the top of the share sheet, making it feel polished rather than showing a raw URL string.
subject: and message: pre-fill email / notes clients. Apps that support a subject field (Mail, Notes, Reminders) will automatically populate it — your users don't have to type a title manually.
The label closure gives you full design control. Any SwiftUI view works as the button label — an HStack, a plain Text, an Image, or a complex card layout. The share-sheet trigger is completely decoupled from its visual appearance.

Variants

Share an image from the asset catalog

import SwiftUI

struct ShareImageView: View {
    // Image must be in the asset catalog or created programmatically
    private let photo = Image("app-screenshot")

    var body: some View {
        // ShareLink works with SwiftUI Image via Transferable
        ShareLink(
            item: photo,
            preview: SharePreview(
                "App Screenshot",
                image: photo
            )
        ) {
            Label("Share screenshot", systemImage: "photo")
        }
    }
}

#Preview {
    ShareImageView()
        .padding()
}

Share a list of multiple items

To share several items at once (e.g., multiple URLs or strings), use ShareLink(items:) with an array. Each item must conform to Transferable. The system combines them into a single share activity so the user is prompted only once:

let urls: [URL] = [
    URL(string: "https://soarias.com")!,
    URL(string: "https://developer.apple.com/xcode/swiftui/")!
]

ShareLink(items: urls) {
    Label("Share \(urls.count) links", systemImage: "square.and.arrow.up.on.square")
}

Common pitfalls

iOS 16 vs 17 differences: ShareLink shipped in iOS 16, but the items: (plural) overload and improved Transferable coercions arrived in iOS 16.1+. If your deployment target is iOS 16.0 exactly, test the array variant on a physical device — the simulator may behave differently.
SwiftUI Image sharing requires the correct representation: Passing a SwiftUI Image asset directly works only because Apple added a Transferable conformance. If you're sharing a UIImage or CGImage, you must bridge it explicitly — wrap it in a custom Transferable struct or convert to a Data representation before passing.
Accessibility: ShareLink is accessible by default when you use Label — VoiceOver reads both the icon description and the label text. If you replace the label with a purely visual button (e.g., a custom icon with no text), always add .accessibilityLabel("Share …") so VoiceOver users know what will be shared.

Prompt this with Claude Code

When using Soarias or Claude Code directly to implement this:

Implement a share sheet in SwiftUI for iOS 17+.
Use ShareLink with a SharePreview for rich share-sheet headers.
Support sharing a URL, a plain String, and a subject line.
Make it accessible (VoiceOver labels on all ShareLink buttons).
Add a #Preview with realistic sample data (real-looking URL and message text).

In the Soarias Build phase, drop this prompt into the feature file for your share flow — Claude Code will scaffold the ShareLink call, wire it to your data model, and add VoiceOver labels in one pass.

FAQ

Does this work on iOS 16?

Yes — ShareLink was introduced in iOS 16 / SwiftUI 4. However, some overloads (particularly items: for sharing arrays) landed in iOS 16.1. The examples on this page target iOS 17+ and use APIs available across all iOS 17 devices. If you need iOS 16.0 compatibility, stick to the single-item: overloads and test thoroughly.

How do I share a custom data type (e.g., a struct)?

Conform your type to the Transferable protocol and implement the static transferRepresentation property. Use CodableRepresentation for JSON-serialisable structs, DataRepresentation for raw bytes, or FileRepresentation when you need to share a file on disk. Once your type conforms, pass it directly to ShareLink(item:).

What's the UIKit equivalent?

In UIKit you'd instantiate UIActivityViewController(activityItems:applicationActivities:), set its popoverPresentationController?.sourceView on iPad, then call present(_:animated:). ShareLink wraps all of that — including the iPad popover anchoring — automatically, which is why the SwiftUI version is dramatically less code.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-11 by the Soarias team.