Share a File Securely With Someone Outside Your Company

Share a File Securely With Someone Outside Your Company

Share a File Securely With Someone Outside Your Company

Overview

When you need to send a file to a client, vendor, or partner, share it from OneDrive or SharePoint instead of attaching it to email. A shared link lets you set who can open the file, whether they can edit it, and when access expires.

Before You Begin

  • The file is already saved in OneDrive or SharePoint.
  • You have the recipient's email address.
  • You know whether they need to view only or also edit.

Steps

  1. Open File Explorer and find your file in your OneDrive folder, or open it in your browser at https://www.office.com.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Share. (On the web, click the Share button at the top.)
  3. In the share dialog, type the recipient's email address.
  4. Click the gear icon or Settings link to open link options.
  5. Set Who can access:
    • Specific people: most secure. Only the listed email addresses can open the file.
    • People in YourCompany: internal teammates only.
    • Anyone with the link: avoid for sensitive content unless required.
  6. Set Can edit or Can view based on what the recipient needs.
  7. Set an expiration date. For external sharing, 14 to 30 days is a good default.
  8. Add a short message explaining what the file is.
  9. Click Send. The recipient gets an email with the link.

Troubleshooting

  • If sharing options are greyed out: your company restricts external sharing for this file or folder. Contact support to request an exception.
  • If the recipient cannot open the link: confirm they signed in with the same email address you shared with. Specific-people links are tied to that address.
  • If the link goes to junk mail: ask the recipient to check their spam folder. Send the link separately from a different channel as a backup.
  • If you need to revoke access: open the file, click Share → Manage access, find the person or link, and click Remove.
  • If you are sharing large files (over 250 MB): OneDrive supports up to 250 GB per file. Email attachment limits do not apply to OneDrive links.

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Need More Help?

Submit a ticket at support.bostonmit.com or email support@bostonmit.com.

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