Microsoft 365: Sharing files and folders

Overview

SharePoint sites, OneDrive, and Teams by default give read/write access to all members of a group.  There are times you may need to share folders and files with other Office 365 users at New Paltz who are not members of your group.  This page has instructions on how to share files/folders, how to remove/edit those shares, and how to access those shared files/folders. To access this interface in Teams please view this document.

Sharing Instructions

1. Open your SharePoint site (or OneDrive)
2. Click the check box to the left of the folder you want to share, then click the Share button.
3. The sharing options window comes up.  By default, files are shared with read and write permissions.  If you only want to allow someone to view (but not edit/delete) the file or folder you are sharing, click the icon at the top right that looks like a pencil and change Can edit (the default) to Can view (which means they can look but cannot change).  You can also choose Can review (though you may need to scroll down to see that option).  This is usable for Microsoft Office files like Word, PowerPoint, or Excel only, and allows people to suggest changes, but not directly edit.
   
   
    
4. Types of sharing:
   • Sharing with individuals:  The default option will allow specific people to have access to these files. You can either type a person's email address, or type their name (if they are a faculty/staff member or in your personal address book their name should come up to click on). 
     
     We recommend adding something to the message describing what it is you are sharing with the recipient(s), as in the example in the screenshot below.
      
   • Sharing with the university as a whole: we usually do not recommend this option, and especially recommend against it with read/write privileges.  If you want to do this though, click the gear icon next to "Copy link", as indicated in the screenshot below:
     
     
     
     After you click that, choose People in State University of New York at New Paltz (this is most likely abbreviated to "People in State Univer... at New Paltz"). then click Apply.  After that, click Copy link.  You can then paste that link in other sources (such as in presentations to your students, links in Brightspace, or emails).  Make sure to change the permissions to View Only!
      

Editing existing shares

There are times you will need to edit an existing share (to remove access for those who don't need it anymore for example).  Here's how to do this:

1. Open your SharePoint site or OneDrive folder.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder.  You will see three dots appear as in the screenshot below.  Click on the three dots.
   
3. Click Manage access in the menu that comes up.
4. You will see a list of who you have shared a file with, along with your own name as 'owner' of the file.  You can click Stop sharing to completely remove any access other than by you (the file/folder owner).
   
    
5. If you've shared via a link, you can also go to the Links tab and edit sharing from there.