How to Share Files with Individual People in SharePoint

ARTICLE SUMMARY

This article explains how a user can share files, folders, and links to individual users from their SharePoint site. This article also contains cautions when sharing links, best practices for sharing links, and related articles.

Cautions When Sharing Links

SharePoint has a convenient feature that allows its users to share links to documents, folders, etc. from one user to another, or even make public.

However, it is important that each SharePoint page stays secure, which is why this feature has the possibility to cause liabilities when keeping our information safe. 

For instance, a user could share a link to a folder. This may contain harmless information that an external user is allowed to see and edit. However, if there is a lack of communication within the team, another user could be unaware that this folder is shared with an outside user and could add high-security information. Now, the external user has access to information that they should not view.

Any folder, file, or link that is shared with another person, can get forwarded to others you did not provide access. Remember that once a file is shared with someone and they download it to their device, they can share it with others.

This article will provide the best practices when it comes to sharing files, and how users can see which folders, files, and links have been shared on their SharePoint site.

Best Practices

This section outlines best practices you can take to ensure the security of your SharePoint site when you share links, documents, and folders.

• Refrain from sharing entire folders to external users – only do so when you absolutely require, and alert all the members in your SharePoint team.
• If you need to share a folder, alert ALL the team members and adjust the title to 'Public Folder - Training Documents,' or something similar that reminds users that any information added to this folder can be accessed by external users.
  • • In a similar sense, you can create folders with the title, 'Private - Finances,' or something similar, to help remind team users that this folder holds secure information that should never be shared.
• NEVER share files with 'everyone,' or the 'public,' unless absolutely necessary and alert team members when performing this action.
• Remove individuals when they no longer require access to files or folders.
• Review file access logs (instructions to access are listed above) frequently (every week, or every other week). If you are the owner of the SharePoint site, you have the ability to run these logs, other users can view which documents have been shared, just not in a log form.

Sharing Files on SharePoint

1. Open the SharePoint you would like to share a document from and go to its library.

2. Select the file or folder by selecting its circle icon.

3. Select 'Share' at the top of the page.

4. Under 'Send Link', select 'Anyone with the link can edit' to open the link settings.

5. Pick an option for the user given access to the link.

6. Under 'Other settings', you can set any of the options given.

7. Once you are happy with the settings chosen, select 'Apply.'

8. In the 'Name, group or email' field, type the email address(es) or contact name(s) of the desired users you wish to share with. 

9. OPTIONAL - Include a 'message' below the Name, group or email' field.

10. Select Send.