Skip to main content

Share

Share is the built-in action in SharePoint that grants other people access to a file, folder, list, or item by sending them a sharing link. It covers both internal and external collaboration: the link type you choose decides exactly who can open the content, from named individuals to any employee, while administrator policies control whether content can leave the organization at all. When you share, SharePoint generates the link, emails it to the recipients you name, and records the grant so it can be reviewed or revoked later.
Related Features
Audit Log, Co-Authoring, Copy Link, Request File, Site Members, Site Owners, Site Visitors

Common Use Cases

  • Document collaboration: sending a draft policy or proposal to colleagues so they can edit it together in place
  • External review: giving a client or vendor access to a specific contract without opening up the whole library
  • One-off access: letting a colleague outside the project team view a single folder of reference files
  • List item handoff: sharing a specific list item, such as a help desk ticket or a project task, with someone who needs the context
  • Replacing email attachments: sending a link to the single source of truth instead of multiplying copies in inboxes
  • Controlled distribution: sharing a folder of final assets with view-only access so recipients cannot change anything

Benefits

  • No permissions expertise required: users grant access through a simple dialog instead of editing permission groups
  • Granular scope: access applies only to the file, folder, or item shared, not to the entire site
  • Built-in notifications: recipients receive an email with the link, and an optional personal message adds context
  • Revocable access: owners can review who has access to an item and remove links or individual people at any time
  • Audit trail: sharing actions are captured in the Microsoft 365 audit log for governance and oversight
  • Consistent experience: the same Share dialog appears across SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and the Office applications

The Four Link Types

  • Specific people: works only for the named individuals, who verify their identity before the content opens; forwarding it to anyone else grants nothing, which makes it the safe default for sensitive content
  • People in your organization: opens for any internal user who receives it, ideal for policies, announcements, and reference material; guests cannot redeem it
  • People with existing access: grants nothing new and simply points to the item, perfect for referencing documents inside an established team without expanding the audience
  • Anyone: works without signing in for whoever holds the link, so reserve it for genuinely public content and pair it with an expiration date and view-only permission

Limits and Nuances

  • Sharing is not permissions management: shared access lives on individual items and accumulates over time, so periodic access reviews cover both the sharing grants and the site permission groups
  • Admin policy wins: if external sharing is off for the organization or the site, external options are unavailable in the dialog, and admins also control allow and deny partner-domain lists and automatic guest-access expiration
  • Anyone links are anonymous: they work without sign-in, can be forwarded freely, and access through them cannot be attributed to a person in the audit log
  • Organization links exclude guests: they authenticate directory members only, so a guest who receives one cannot open the content
  • Resharing behavior: people with edit access to an item can share it onward unless sharing is restricted by site settings
  • Folder scope: sharing a folder includes everything inside it, including files added after the share
  • Disabling Anyone links has teeth: anonymous links that were already created stop working once the tier is turned off
  • Guest accounts persist: removing access to a site does not delete the guest from the directory, which is why periodic guest reviews matter

Common Questions About the Share Action

What is the difference between Share and Copy Link?

Both actions create the same kinds of sharing links with the same permission options. Share sends the link to recipients by email through SharePoint, with an optional message, while Copy Link places the link on your clipboard so you can deliver it through Teams, email, or any other channel. The access granted is identical; only the delivery method differs.

What are the four types of sharing links?

Four: Specific people links work only for named individuals who verify their identity. People in your organization links open for any internal user who receives them. People with existing access links grant nothing new and simply point to the item. Anyone links work without sign-in for whoever holds them. The type you pick defines the real audience of the content, so check it before sending.

What are the external sharing levels in SharePoint?

There are four tiers. Anyone allows links that work without signing in. New and existing guests lets users invite outside people who must authenticate. Existing guests restricts sharing to guests already in the organization’s directory. Only people in your organization turns external sharing off entirely. The organization-level setting acts as a ceiling, and each site can use the same level or a more restrictive one.

Can I see who a file has been shared with?

Yes. Every file, folder, and item keeps an access list showing the sharing links that exist, who they were sent to, and any people granted direct access. Owners and people with full control can review this list, change a link’s permission, or remove it entirely. For organization-wide oversight, sharing actions are also captured in the Microsoft 365 audit log.

How do I stop sharing something I shared earlier?

Access can be revoked at any time. Deleting a sharing link cuts off everyone who relied on that link, while individual people can be removed from the item’s access list without affecting others. Because links and direct grants are tracked per item, revoking access on one document never disturbs the rest of the library or the site’s permission groups.

Who can help us set up safe sharing practices in SharePoint?

Greg Zelfond, the SharePoint consultant behind LookBook 365, builds intranets and team sites entirely out of the box, with sharing defaults, permission groups, and governance configured to match how each organization actually works. Every LookBook 365 design uses native SharePoint capabilities like the Share action, so the environments he delivers stay secure, supportable, and easy for site owners to maintain.