OneDrive
Sharing a File or Folder from OneDrive
This guide shows you how to share a file or folder from OneDrive with a colleague or an external person, and how to control whether they can view or edit it.
Time needed
5 minutes
Platform
Microsoft 365
Guide steps
3 clear sections
Before you begin
You are signed in to Microsoft 365. Understand that sharing files externally (with people outside your organisation) may be restricted by your IT team's policy — always follow your organisation's data handling guidelines.
Follow along
Step-by-step guide
Share a file from OneDrive on the web
- Instruction 1: Go to portal.office.com and click the OneDrive tile.
- Instruction 2: Find the file or folder you want to share. Hover over it and click the Share button (or right-click and choose Share).
- Instruction 3: The sharing dialog opens. Click the permissions dropdown (which may say 'Anyone with the link can edit') to configure access.
- Instruction 4: Choose the appropriate option: 'Specific people' is the safest choice — only the people you name can access the file. 'People in [Organisation]' allows anyone in your company with the link to access it. 'Anyone with the link' allows public access — use this only if your IT team permits it.
- Instruction 5: Set whether people can Edit or only View.
- Instruction 6: If you chose Specific people, type the person's name or email address.
- Instruction 7: Click Apply, then Send (to email the link) or Copy link (to paste it yourself).
Action map
Share a file from OneDrive on the web
- 01
Go to portal.office.com and click the OneDrive tile.
- 02
Find the file or folder you want to share. Hover over it and click the Share button (or…
- 03
The sharing dialog opens. Click the permissions dropdown (which may say 'Anyone with the…
Visual guide
Use this visual action map alongside the written instructions above.
Open OneDrive help & learning for Sharing a File or Folder from OneDriveShare a file from File Explorer (Windows)
- Instruction 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to your OneDrive folder.
- Instruction 2: Right-click the file or folder you want to share.
- Instruction 3: Click Share (this opens the same sharing dialog as the OneDrive website).
- Instruction 4: Follow the same steps as above to set permissions and send or copy the link.
Manage and remove existing shares
- Instruction 1: To see who a file is shared with: go to OneDrive on the web, right-click the file, and click Manage access.
- Instruction 2: Here you can see every person who has access and remove them individually.
- Instruction 3: To stop sharing entirely, remove all specific people or click Stop sharing to disable the link.
Quick fixes
Troubleshooting
The sharing options I need are not available (e.g. 'Anyone with the link' is greyed out)
Your IT administrator has restricted external sharing to protect company data. Contact the helpdesk to discuss your use case — they can either enable it temporarily or suggest an approved alternative method.
The person I shared with says they cannot access the file
Check that you selected 'Specific people' and entered their correct email address. Resend the share invitation. If they are external to the organisation, confirm that external sharing is enabled — contact the helpdesk if unsure.
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