Manage sharing settings

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  • 8 minutes to read

This article describes how global and SharePoint admins in Microsoft 365 can change their organization-level sharing settings for Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft OneDrive. (If you want to share a file or binder, read Share SharePoint files or folders or Share OneDrive files and folders.)

For end-to-end guidance around how to configure guest sharing in Microsoft 365, see:

  • Set up secure collaboration with Microsoft 365
  • Collaborate with guests on a document
  • Collaborate with guests in a site
  • Collaborate with guests in a squad

To change the sharing settings for a site after yous've set the system-level sharing settings, see Change sharing settings for a site. To larn how to change the external sharing setting for a user's OneDrive, see Change the external sharing setting for a user's OneDrive.

Video demonstration

This video shows how the settings on the Sharing page in the SharePoint admin center touch on the sharing options bachelor to users.

Modify the organization-level external sharing setting

  1. Get to Sharing in the SharePoint admin center, and sign in with an account that has admin permissions for your arrangement.

  2. Under External sharing, specify your sharing level for SharePoint and OneDrive. The default level for both is "Anyone."

    Note

    The SharePoint setting applies to all site types, including those continued to Microsoft 365 groups.

    The OneDrive setting can be more restrictive than the SharePoint setting, but not more permissive.

    The SharePoint external sharing setting on this page is the aforementioned every bit the one in the Microsoft 365 admin center, on the Org settings page > SharePoint.

    External sharing settings

    This setting is for your organization overall. Each site has its own sharing setting that you can set independently, though it must be at the aforementioned or more than restrictive setting equally the organization. See Modify the external sharing setting for a site for more data.

Which choice to select...

Select this selection: If you desire to:
Anyone
Allow users to share files and folders by using links that let anyone who has the link access the files or folders without authenticating. This setting also allows users to share sites with new and existing guests who authenticate. If you lot select this setting, you lot can restrict the Anyone links then that they must expire within a specific number of days, or so that they can requite merely View permission.

File requests requires that OneDrive be set to Anyone and edit permissions for Anyone links be enabled. OneDrive settings other than Anyone disable file requests.

Run across Best practices for sharing files and folders with unauthenticated users for more information.
New and existing guests
Require people who have received invitations to sign in with their work or schoolhouse account (if their organization uses Microsoft 365) or a Microsoft account, or to provide a lawmaking to verify their identity. Users can share with guests already in your arrangement's directory, and they tin can transport invitations to people who volition exist added to the directory if they sign in. For more info well-nigh verification codes, run across Secure external sharing in SharePoint

Invitations to view content can be redeemed just once. After an invitation has been accepted, it can't be shared or used by others to gain admission.

Existing guests
Allow sharing only with guests who are already in your directory. These guests may exist in your directory because they previously accustomed sharing invitations or because they were manually added, such every bit through Azure B2B collaboration. (To run into the guests in your organization, go to the Guests page in the Microsoft 365 admin center).
But people in your system
Plow off external sharing.

Annotation

If you turn off external sharing for your organisation and subsequently plough it back on, guests who previously had admission regain information technology. If you know that external sharing was previously turned on and in use for specific sites and yous don't want guests to regain access, first turn off external sharing for those specific sites.

If you restrict or plow off external sharing, guests typically lose access within one hour of the change.

More external sharing settings

More external sharing settings

Limit external sharing by domain

This is useful if you lot desire to limit sharing with particular partners, or assistance prevent sharing with people at sure organizations. The organization-level setting on this folio affects all SharePoint sites and each user'due south OneDrive. To apply this setting, listing the domains (maximum of 3000) in the box, using the format domain.com. To list multiple domains, press Enter later adding each domain.

You can too limit external sharing by domain by using the Gear up-SPOTenant Microsoft PowerShell cmdlet with -SharingDomainRestrictionMode and either -SharingAllowedDomainList or -SharingBlockedDomainList. For info nigh limiting external sharing past domain at the site level, see Restricted domains sharing.

Let only users in specific security groups to share externally

For info near this setting, see Manage security groups.

Guests must sign in using the same business relationship to which sharing invitations are sent

By default, guests can receive an invitation at one business relationship but sign in with a different business relationship. After they redeem the invitation, it tin can't be used with any other account.

Allow guests to share items they don't own

By default, guests must accept full control permission to share items externally.

Guest admission to a site or OneDrive will expire automatically afterward this many days

If your administrator has set an expiration time for guest access, each guest that you lot invite to the site or with whom you share individual files and folders will be given access for a sure number of days. For more information visit, Manage guest expiration for a site

People who utilize a verification code must reauthenticate later on this many days

If people who use a verification lawmaking have selected to "stay signed in" in the browser, they must evidence they can still access the account they used to redeem the sharing invitation.

Cull the option you want to prove by default when a user gets a link.

Default links

Annotation

This setting specifies the default for your organization, simply site owners tin cull a unlike default link type for a site.

  • Specific people - This option is nigh restrictive and impedes broad internal sharing. If y'all allow external sharing, this option lets users share with specific people outside the organization.

  • Only people in your arrangement - If links are forwarded, they'll work for anyone in the organization. This option is best if your organization shares broadly internally and rarely shares externally.

  • Anyone with the link - This selection is bachelor just if your external sharing setting is set to "Anyone." Forwarded links piece of work internally or externally, only you tin can't track who has access to shared items or who has accessed shared items. This is best for friction-costless sharing if most files and folders in SharePoint and OneDrive aren't sensitive.

    Important

    If y'all select "Anyone with the link," only the site or OneDrive is gear up to allow sharing just with guests who sign in or provide a verification lawmaking, the default link is "Only people in your organization." Users demand to change the link blazon to "Specific people" to share files and folders in the site or OneDrive externally.

Settings in the new SharePoint admin center

Link expiration - Y'all tin can require all "Anyone" links to elapse, and specify the maximum number of days allowed

Link permissions - You can restrict "Anyone" links so that they can simply provide view permission for files or folders.

If you are using file requests, the link permissions must be set up for View and edit for files and View, edit, and upload for folders.

Other

Other sharing settings

Display to owners the names of people who viewed their files

This setting lets you control whether the owner of a shared file can come across on the file card the people who but view (and don't edit) the file in OneDrive. The file bill of fare appears when users hover over a file name or thumbnail in OneDrive. The info includes the number of views on the file, the number of people who viewed it, and the listing of people who viewed information technology. To learn more about the file menu, see See files y'all shared in OneDrive.

Note

This setting is selected by default. If you lot articulate it, file viewer info is nevertheless recorded and bachelor to y'all to audit every bit an admin. OneDrive owners tin can also still see people who have viewed their shared Office files by opening the files from Office.com or from the Office desktop apps.

Let site owners choose to display the names of people who viewed files or pages in SharePoint

This setting lets yous specify whether site owners can allow users who accept access to a file, page, or news mail service to see on the file card who has viewed the item.

Viewer information on the file card for a document.

This setting is turned on by default at the arrangement level and off at the site level for existing sites. Viewer information is shown simply when the setting is on at both the organization and site level. Nosotros recommend that site owners turn on this feature only on squad sites that don't have sensitive information. Learn how site owners tin can turn on this characteristic.

Annotation

Historical data is included when this setting is enabled. Likewise, if the setting is turned off and back on at the organisation level or site level, the views during the off period are included in the history.

On the archetype Sharing page, you lot can limit external sharing by security grouping and shorten sharing links or modify their default permission.

Demand more help?

<Token> If you have technical questions nearly this topic, you may find it helpful to post them on the SharePoint give-and-take forum. It'south a nifty resource for finding others who take worked with similar issues or who have encountered the same situation.

You tin can likewise find help on security and permissions in these YouTube videos from SharePoint community experts.

See besides

Limit accidental exposure to files when sharing with guests

Create a secure guest sharing environment

Terminate sharing files or folders or change permissions

External sharing & collaboration with OneDrive, SharePoint & Teams (Ignite 2020)