Details
This article will show you how to setup sharing links for individual files or folders that are stored in Microsoft Teams / SharePoint.
Sometimes users will want to only share specific files or folders without inviting the external guest to the full team and set of channels where they would be able to see posts and conversations happening.
Creating sharing links will setup a M365 portal type of experience for your external guest to access only the files or folders that are needed. This can be done by accessing the files section of the teams channel (or the SharePoint site) where the files are located and following the instructions below. These instructions are written from the context of sharing links setup in Teams, but the same thing can be accomplished from the SharePoint side of things.
NOTE: Highly Confidential data should never be stored or shared using Microsoft Teams or a standard SharePoint site.
Please visit (https://www.jmu.edu/computing/communication-and-collaboration/sharepoint.shtml) for more information on how to obtain a site from JMU Information Technology that is appropriate for storing and sharing Highly Confidential data.
1. Access the team and channel where the files that you want to share are located. Navigate to the Shared section.
2. Click on the bubble out to the left side of the file or folder you want to share and select Copy link.
3. A sharing link has been created that can be used by guests. Click on Settings to add guest(s) and adjust their level of access as needed.
4. Select People you choose and type in the full email address of the guest needing access, and add in additional guest email addresses as needed. External guests do not need Microsoft accounts to access the environment. This example shows an individual's gmail account being added.
5. Adjust the level of access granted by selecting an option with the More settings dropdown menu. Click Apply when ready to proceed.
6. You will be taken back to the panel verifying a sharing link was setup and copied.
7. Go back to the file or folder that was shared and select Manage access if you would like to verify the external guests who have access.
From this panel you can click on the Links tab and copy the link to distribute again, add / remove guests, or delete the sharing link altogether when its time to clean up and stop sharing.
8. Take your copied link and distribute it to your external guest(s).
- If needed, you can copy the link again from the Manage Access panel shown above in Step 7.
- The link will only work for the external guest email addresses that you added in Step 4.
- Make sure your guests are not attempting to share the link with others who were not added for access.
- Make sure that your guests are using the correct email account to login and access your files.
9. When your guest(s) access your link, they will be presented with a prompt to enter their email address.
10. Once they have entered their email address (and it matches the access you granted), they will be sent a code to use to complete their login.
11. Once the guest has entered their code to verify access, they are taken to a Microsoft 365 file sharing portal where they can access what was shared with them.
- They can use the original link you sent them, or make a bookmark in their web browser to continue to access the shared files over time.
- When reauthentication is required, they can be sent a new one-time code to use to log back in.
The guest(s) you shared with will only have access to the files / folders that you selected from your Teams or SharePoint site. In this example, the folder M365 Usage Reports - 2025 was shared from the M365 Core Team. The guest(s) do not have access to that team, and instead they only have access to this folder.
If a guest attempted to backtrack through the site navigation to other files / folders, they would not see anything other than what was shared.
12. When you are done sharing and ready to clean up - follow Step 7 and use the Manage Access panel (and the Links tab) to add / remove guests, or delete the sharing link altogether.
Please visit the page below for more information and further support options for Microsoft Teams or SharePoint.
https://www.jmu.edu/computing/communication-and-collaboration/microsoft-teams.shtml
Symptoms
- Can I share individual files or folders from Microsoft Teams?
- How do I share individual files or folders from Microsoft Teams?