SharePoint Online: How to Share a File or Folder with External Users?

Introduction

As businesses and organizations increasingly collaborate with partners, clients, and other external parties, it’s crucial to know how to securely share files and folders with those outside your organization. With SharePoint Online, you can easily share documents and Folders with external users. This enables users to collaborate on documents, share data, and quickly access information from any device or location. In this blog post, I’ll provide a step-by-step guide on sharing files and folders with external users in SharePoint Online. Whether you’re a seasoned SharePoint pro or a complete newbie, this guide will have you sharing content with external users like a pro in no time. So, let’s get started!

Understanding External Sharing in SharePoint Online

Before diving into the process of sharing files and folders with external users, it’s essential to understand how external sharing works in SharePoint Online. External sharing allows you to give individuals outside of your organization access to specific files, folders, or entire sites in SharePoint Online. These external users can view, edit, or contribute to the shared content based on the permissions you grant them. This feature is particularly useful for collaborating with partners, vendors, or clients outside of your organization. External sharing allows you to share content securely and efficiently without the need for email attachments or third-party sharing tools.

External sharing in SharePoint Online is powered by Azure Active Directory (AAD), which provides a secure and scalable identity management solution. With AAD, you can control who has access to your SharePoint content and ensure that external users authenticate using their credentials.

Now that we have a basic understanding of external sharing in SharePoint Online, let’s move on to the step-by-step guide.

Benefits of External Sharing in SharePoint

External sharing in SharePoint offers several benefits for modern businesses, including:

• Improved Collaboration: External sharing enables you to collaborate with people outside of your organization in real-time. You can share files, folders, and sites with external users, allowing them to view, edit, and comment on your content.
• Increased Productivity: External sharing streamlines the collaboration process. Instead of sending files via email or using third-party sharing tools, you can share content directly from SharePoint. This approach reduces the likelihood of version control issues and saves time for everyone involved.
• Enhanced Security: External sharing in SharePoint is secure by default. You can control who has access to your content, and you can require external users to authenticate using their credentials.

Step-by-Step Guide to Sharing Files and Folders with External Users

Step 1: Check Your SharePoint Online External Sharing Settings

Before you can share files or folders with external users, you need to ensure that your SharePoint Online settings allow for external sharing. Here’s how you can check and adjust these settings:

Check the Tenant Level External Sharing Settings

1. Sign in to your Office 365 account using your admin credentials.
2. Click on the “Admin” icon from the main Office 365 dashboard.
3. In the left-hand menu, click “SharePoint” under “Admin Centers”.
4. In the SharePoint Admin Center, click “Policies” and “Sharing” in the left-hand menu.
5. Review the sharing settings for your organization. Ensure that your settings allow external sharing for the specific site where the file or folder is located.

   

If necessary, adjust the sharing settings to allow external sharing. Remember to strike a balance between enabling collaboration and maintaining security.

Check the Site Level External Sharing Settings

1. To check if external sharing is enabled at the site level in SharePoint Online, we can follow these steps:
2. Go to the SharePoint admin center, expand Sites, and choose Active Sites.
3. Locate the site you want to check for external sharing, and click the Sharing button on the toolbar.
4. Make sure it’s not set to “Only people in your organization”. Make the necessary adjustments, E.g., Set the external sharing setting to Anyone or New and existing guests.

   

Step 2: Navigate to the File or Folder You Want to Share

Now that your SharePoint Online settings allow external sharing, navigate to the file or folder you want to share with the external user:

1. Sign in to your Office 365 account.
2. Navigate to the SharePoint Online site where the file or folder is located.
3. If you’re sharing a file, locate the file within the document library. If you’re sharing a folder, navigate to the folder in the document library.

Step 3: Share the File or Folder with the External User

Sharing files with external users in SharePoint Online is a simple process. Once you’ve accessed the file or folder you want to share, follow these steps to share it with the external user:

1. Select the file or folder by clicking the checkbox next to it.
2. Click on the’ Share’ button in the toolbar at the top of the page.
3. Enter the external user’s email address in the ‘Send Link’ dialog box.
4. Click on the drop-down menu next to the external user’s email address to set the appropriate permission level (e.g., “Can edit” or “Can view”).
5. If you want to include a personal message, click on the “Add a message” link and type your message.
6. Click ‘Send’ to share the file or folder with the external user.

   

After sharing the file or folder with the external user, it’s a good idea to periodically review and manage the content you’ve shared. This ensures that only the necessary individuals can access your data, helping maintain security. Here’s how you can review and manage your shared content:

1. In the document library where the shared file or folder is located, click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the file or folder name.
2. Click on ‘Manage Access’ in the context menu that appears.
3. In the ‘Manage Access’ panel, you’ll see a list of users and groups with access to the file or folder, including the external users you’ve shared it with.
4. To modify or revoke access for an external user, click on the ellipsis next to their name and select the appropriate action (e.g., ‘Change to view only’ or ‘Stop sharing’).

By regularly reviewing and managing the content you’ve shared with external users, you can keep your SharePoint Online environment secure and well-organized.

Revoke External Sharing

If you need to revoke external sharing for a specific file or folder, you can do so by going to the item in question and selecting “Manage Access.” In the “Manage access” dialog box, you can see a list of all the users who have access to the file or folder. From there, you can remove external users or change their permission levels.

Best Practices for Sharing Files and Folders with External Users

Now you know how to share files and folders with external users in SharePoint Online. While external sharing in SharePoint offers many benefits, it also raises some security concerns. For example, sharing content with external users can increase the risk of data leakage or unauthorized access. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to follow best practices when enabling external sharing in SharePoint. Let’s take a moment to review some best practices to ensure that you’re using external sharing responsibly and effectively:

1. Share with caution: Only share content with trusted external users, and avoid sharing sensitive or confidential information unless absolutely necessary.
2. Grant minimal permissions: When sharing content, always assign the minimum necessary permission level to external users to limit their ability to view, edit, or contribute to your data.
3. Use unique links: If you need to share the same file or folder with multiple external users, consider creating unique sharing links for each user. This allows you to manage their access individually and revoke access for specific users if needed.
4. Set expiration dates: When sharing content with external users, consider setting an expiration date for their access. This way, their access will automatically be revoked after a certain period, reducing the risk of unnecessary access.
5. Communicate with your team: Encourage open communication among your team members about external sharing. Ensure everyone knows your organization’s policies and guidelines for sharing content with external users.
6. Review External Sharing Settings Regularly: Regularly review your external sharing settings to ensure that they align with your organization’s security policies. You can do this by going to “Site Settings” > “External Sharing” and checking your sharing levels.
7. Limit External Sharing: When enabling external sharing in SharePoint, it is important to limit the number of people who have access to your content. You can do this by creating a specific group of external users and granting them access to only the content they need.

External sharing in SharePoint Online can be a powerful tool for collaboration, but it’s important to use it responsibly. Ensuring that you only share content with trusted individuals and granting the minimum necessary permissions can help you maintain the security of your data.

Wrapping Up

Sharing files and folders with external users in SharePoint Online can be a powerful tool for collaboration, but it’s crucial to use it responsibly and effectively. External sharing in SharePoint is a powerful tool that can improve collaboration, increase productivity, and enhance security. By enabling external sharing and following best practices, you can securely and efficiently share content with people outside your organization. Remember to limit external sharing, require authentication, and use advanced security features to protect your content. With these tips and tricks, you can unlock the full potential of external sharing in SharePoint and take your collaboration to the next level. By following this step-by-step guide and implementing the best practices outlined above, you can securely share content with external users while maintaining the integrity of your SharePoint Online environment.

Armed with this knowledge, you’re now ready to take your SharePoint Online collaboration to the next level. Happy sharing!