Tip of the Week: How to Control File Sharing in OneDrive

Microsoft’s solutions are fairly common among businesses, so there’s a fair chance that you utilize Microsoft Office 365, which gives you access to Microsoft’s cloud storage solution, OneDrive. Using this, your users are able to share documents and collaborate on them, but what if you don’t want your users sharing certain company documents? Today, our tip will cover how to control sharing in OneDrive.

In OneDrive, a user can share a singular file or folder pretty easily. All they have to do is log in, right-click on the file/folder, and click Share.

Sharing this way allows a user to share their content with one of their contacts, send it to an email address or copy a shareable link and send it along through an instant message or an email. Doing so gives the recipient access to make edits to it by default, but the sender can restrict them to read-only access if desired.

You don’t want to micromanage your entire team, however, to make sure they are sharing files and folders with people actually authorized to receive them. Fortunately, by using the global settings of OneDrive, you can take control past the file/folder basis to control how a user can share documents.

Controlling a User’s File Sharing in OneDrive
Assuming you have administrative access over your OneDrive account, sign in by visiting https://admin.microsoft.com/ before proceeding with the following steps:

  • Look for Admin centers on the left side of your display. Click SharePoint.
  • You should then be directed to the new SharePoint admin center. If you’re brought to the old one, you can go to the new on by clicking on Open it now.
  • Again, on the left side of the screen, find Policies, and click on Sharing.

Doing so means you have edited the global settings, applying your changes to all accounts. To manage settings on a case-by-case basis, access Users, Active Users, and select the individual who you’re attempting to manage. You should find a OneDrive tab with adjustable sharing options.

With privacy and security being so critical for contemporary businesses, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to maintain control of your company’s information. Our security experts can help! Reach out to us at 844.671.6071 to get started.