Knowledgebase: Office 365
Share SharePoint Files or Folders

You may want to share specific files or folders with people or user who don't otherwise have access to the site. When you share files and folders, you can decide whether to let people edit or just view them.

Here are the steps for sharing files and folder in SharePoint (personal files or folder)

  1. Select the file or folder you want to share, and then select Share at the panel task above.
  2. (Optional) Click the dropdown list to change the type of link. The Details pane opens, where you can change who can access the link and whether people can edit the item you’re sharing.

Options for Who would you like this link to work for (options vary based on admin settings):

Anyone gives access to anyone who receives this link, whether they receive it directly from you or forwarded from someone else. This may include people outside of your organization.

People in <Your Organization> gives anyone in your organization who has the link access to the file, whether they receive it directly from you or forwarded from someone else.

  • (Other setting) You can enable or disable Allow editing and Block download.
  • By default, Allow editing is turned off. If you want people to only view your files, uncheck the check box.
  • This can be further restricted by selecting the option to Block download, which means they cannot save a local copy.

People with existing access can be used by people who already have access to the document or folder. Use this if you just want to send a link to somebody who already has access. 

Specific people gives access only to the people you specify, although other people may already have access. If people forward the sharing invitation, only people who already have access to the item will be able to use the link.

  • Note: If a sharing option has been greyed out, your organization's admins may have restricted them. For example, they may choose to disable the Anyone option to prevent usable links being forwarded to others.

When you're done, click Apply.

  1. Enter the names of the people you want to share with and a message, if you want.
  2. When you’re ready to send the link, click Send.
  • Note: If you select the Outlook option, this only allows you to include a link of the file in the email message. If you want to attach the actual file, you must download a local copy from SharePoint, then attach the file to the email.

 Another way to share is to get a link to a file or folder that you can copy and paste in a text message or on a website. People you share these links with can also forward your link to others.

  1. In SharePoint, click Copy link. The link is automatically copied to your clipboard.
  2. Paste the link (Ctrl+V) to wherever you want, such as a text message or on a website.

Comments (0)