OneDrive for Business offers features for managing files and collaborating with others. In this article, we’ll explore best practices for effective file sharing, organization, and security.
There are two ways to share files in OneDrive for Business.
Share with “Copy link”: Use this option to share items with a wide audience, even people you don’t know personally. You can post these links on social media, in emails, or messages. Anyone with the link can view or edit the item, depending on the permission you set. Note: If a link points to a folder, then the user may have to sign in with their Microsoft account to access said folder.
Share with specific people: Choose this option when you want to share with specific individuals. You can set permissions for each person either to view-only or edit access.
1. Go to ugamail.uga.edu and log in to your UGA email account (MyID@uga.edu). Once logged in to your UGAMail, click the 9 dots in the top left-hand corner.
2. Choose OneDrive.
3. A new page will open displaying your OneDrive for Business and its contents. To display your files and folders, choose My Files to view your files and folders that are saved to your OneDrive for Business.
4. Now choose the File/s or Folder/s that you would like to share.
5. In the row with the file or folder name, choose the the square with the arrow in the middle and a new menu will appear.
Note: Clicking this option with more than one file or folder selected will share all file and folders that you have selected.
6. A new box will appear. You can specify Who you share those files or folders with.
7. Type the email of the user, users or Team that you would like to share the file or folders with.
Note: The default permission is to allow editing for the user you are sharing the file or folder with. For instructions on how to change permissions, view How to Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders.
8. Once you have chosen the recipient, click Send.
The user or users will be notified you shared the file/s or folder/s.
There are several types of permissions you can set on a file or folder. Each permission grants certain levels of access to a file or folder.
View Only: Recipients can view the file or folder but cannot make changes.
Edit: Recipients can view and edit the content.
Direct Access Links: Share a link directly with specific people. They can either view or edit the item based on the permission you set.
Cannot Download: User can view the file or folder online but can't download the file or folder.
Copy Link: Generate a link that can be shared via email, social media, or messaging. Anyone with the link can view or edit the item, depending on the permission level.
Stop Sharing: As the file owner, you can stop sharing the file or folder at any time.
To choose what permissions the file or folder, follow the steps for How to Share Files in OneDrive for Business through Step 7.
After typing in the email of the user or users in the Add a name, group or email field, click the pencil in the right hand corner of the sharing window.
Choose the appropriate permissions for the user or users, then click Send.
You can also choose to send an invite link instead to the user or users which you specify. After typing in the name, group of email in the Add a name, group, or email field, click Copy Link. You can adjust the permissions in the invite link for the user or users by clicking the cog next to the copy link. You will see a new permissions window.
Under the Link Settings, you can choose different options for sharing the link.
Anyone: You can share the file or folder with anyone, and the link will not require you to sign in.
People in University of Georgia: You can share this link with anyone in the University of Georgia. This option will only allow Users with a UGA email address (MyID@uga.edu) to view the link. Sign in is required to view the file or folder.
People with existing access: This option allows you to re-share a link to the file or folder that you have previously given users access to. This option is good for users you have already given access to who no longer have the link to the original file or folder.
People you choose: You can share this link with specific people you choose either. These can be users with a UGA email address, or those not affiliated with the University.
After selecting the appropriate user or users, you can then select their access permissions. Once you’ve assigned access to the file or folder, click Copy Link. You can now share that link you have copied with the specified users via email, Teams, text message, or other communication channels.