How to share a file safely
The difference between a private link and a public one, and how to pick the right one.
Sharing a file is easy. Sharing it with exactly the people you meant is the part worth two minutes of your time.
The idea to hang on to. A share link is a key, not an invitation. If you post a key through somebody's door and they hand it to a friend, it still opens the lock. Links behave the same way.
Do this first: share with specific people
For anything with client details, staff details, money or contracts in it, send it to named people rather than handing out a key.
- Right-click the file and choose Share. On some computers it sits under a OneDrive entry first.
- A box opens. Near the top it tells you who the link currently works for. Click that line to change it.
- Choose Specific people.
- Type the email address of each person who should have it.
- Decide whether they get Can edit or Can view. If they only need to read it, pick Can view.
- Click Send to email it, or Copy link if you would rather paste it into your own message.
If somebody forwards that email, the new person still cannot open the file.
The two kinds of link
| Who can open it | Use it for | |
|---|---|---|
| Specific people | Only the people you name, and only after they sign in. Forwarding it to somebody else does not work. | Anything that matters. This should be your normal choice. |
| Anyone with the link | Anybody at all who has the link. No sign-in, no name, no record of who they were. | Things you would be happy to see on a noticeboard. A flyer, a photo, a public price list. |
There is no third clever option. Everything else is a variation on those two.
When "anyone with the link" is the right call
Sometimes it is the right tool, usually when the other person cannot sign in and the content is not sensitive. Two small things make it much safer:
- Set an expiry date. In the sharing box, open the settings and give the link an end date.
- Make it view-only unless they really do need to change it.
You may find your organization has turned this option off. That is deliberate rather than a fault, and it is worth a quick message to us if you think you need it for something specific.
Three things worth knowing
Links get forwarded. Not usually out of mischief. With a "specific people" link that simply does not work, which is the point.
Sharing a folder shares everything in it, including anything you or anybody else puts in it later. If you only meant to send one spreadsheet, send the spreadsheet.
"Can edit" means exactly that. They can change the file, and they can delete what is in it. If in doubt, Can view is the kinder default.
Checking who already has access
- Right-click the file, choose OneDrive, then Manage access.
- You see the people who have been given access, and any links that exist.
- Remove anybody who should not be there, or delete a link entirely to switch it off.
If you find a link you do not remember creating, that is not necessarily a problem. Links are easy to make and easy to forget. Delete it and move on.
Did this not sort it out?
Payroll, medical, banking details, anything covered by a client agreement: talk to us before sending it. We have ways of getting a file to somebody that expire on their own and do not sit in an inbox forever. Nobody has ever been told off for asking first.
Tell Michael which step you got to and what the screen says. A photo of the screen from your phone is perfect.