How to Share a SharePoint File with a Link and Set the Right Permissions

Sharing a SharePoint file is easy; sharing it safely means choosing who the link works for and what they’re allowed to do. Here’s how to set both.

Why: A SharePoint link can be wide open (“Anyone with the link”) or locked to named people — and separately, each recipient can be limited to editing, viewing, or view-only-no-download. Get the link type wrong and you’ve over-shared; get the permission wrong and people can’t do their job. Set both deliberately before you send.

Step 1: Open the Share panel

Start from the document library.

1. In the library, click the circle to select the file or folder.
2. Click Share in the command bar (or the share icon on the file row).
3. The sharing panel opens, defaulting to whatever link type your organization allows.

Step 2: Choose who the link works for

This controls the audience — the single biggest security decision.

1. At the top of the panel, click the current link setting (often “People in your organization with the link”) to open Link settings.
2. Pick the audience:
   • Anyone with the link — works for anyone, including people outside your organization. Use only for genuinely public content.
   • People in your organization with the link — anyone signed in to your tenant.
   • People with existing access — doesn’t grant new access; just gives a link to people who already have it.
   • People you choose (Specific people) — only the named recipients can open it; others are blocked even if the link is forwarded.

For anything sensitive, choose People you choose.

Step 3: Set what they can do (edit, view, no download)

Now set the permission level for that link.

1. Still in Link settings, find the permission option (often shown as Can edit).
2. Choose the level:
   • Can edit — recipients can change the file.
   • Can view — recipients can open but not change it.
   • Can’t download — view in the browser only; no saving a local copy.
3. For Anyone links you can also Set expiration date and Set password to add time limits and a passcode.
4. Click Apply.

Step 4: Copy or send the link

With the link configured, hand it out.

1. To email it directly, type the recipients’ names or addresses and add an optional message, then click Send.
2. To paste it yourself (into Teams, chat, a doc), click Copy link and share it wherever you like.

The permissions you set travel with the link, so anyone you send it to is held to those rules.

FAQ

What’s the safest sharing option? People you choose with Can view. The link only works for the people you name — forwarding it to anyone else does nothing — and they can read but not change the file.

Can I stop people from downloading a file? Yes — set the permission to Can’t download. Recipients can read the file in the browser but can’t save a local copy. (Determined users can still screenshot, so it’s a deterrent, not airtight protection.)

How do I remove access after sharing? Reopen the Share panel and choose Manage access. There you can change each person’s permission or stop sharing the link entirely, which immediately revokes access for everyone using it.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Share SharePoint files or folders · Microsoft Support — Manage sharing and permissions in OneDrive and SharePoint