Tech Tip – Sharing Files In Microsoft OneDrive

Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage, accessible at Onedrive.com or through your OneDrive client on the computer, allows users to share files and folders with others, with the ability to  control who has permission to just view or to edit files and folders.

Links can be set to expire on a specific date and time and there is also the option to block users from downloading the data.  This allows users to share and collaborate on the same data working together at the same time.  

Here is how to do it:

• Open OneDrive
• Select the file(s) or folder(s) by selecting the tick box to the left of each item you wish to share
• Click on the share symbol, which looks like an arrow leaving a box
• Type in who you would like to share it with by using their email address, you can keep adding users if need be
• At the top of the Share screen above the name section is a is a section marked "Send Link" which by default is set to "Anyone with the link can edit", click on the > symbol to get more link options
• Change the permissions for the data as required, the options are... 
  • allow everyone with the link to access
  • people only within your tenant / organisation to access
  • people with existing access 
  • specific people
  • can edit or just view the data
  • set an expiry date, which will revoke access after a specific date and time
  • set an access password 
  • block download
• Once the options have been select you are taken back to the Send link screen, where you can type an additional message to accompany the link so that the recipient knows what it is they are being sent, then click send to send the link to the recipient.  

NOTE: selecting the options of who to send the link to will determine what other features are available, for example, if you choose to send the link to specific people only, the link will not have the option to expire.  If you select everyone with the link can access the data then it will have the option to expire the link on a set date and time.