Published 2021-03-05 by TechNet New England
OneDrive and SharePoint are Microsoft's cloud storage platforms. OneDrive is for personal files. SharePoint is for team files. Both use the same sharing interface. ## Share from OneDrive (Web) 1. Go to [onedrive.live.com](https://onedrive.live.com) or [onedrive.com](https://onedrive.com). 2. Right-click the file or folder. 3. Click **Share**. 4. Choose who can access: **People you specify**: Only the people you add can access it. **People in [your organization]**: Anyone in your organization with the link. **Anyone with the link**: Anyone, including external people. 5. Choose permission: **Can edit** or **Can view**. 6. Enter email addresses or copy the link. 7. Click **Send** or **Copy link**. ## Share from SharePoint 1. Navigate to the document library in your SharePoint site. 2. Click the three dots next to the file. 3. Click **Share**. 4. Same options as OneDrive: choose recipients and permissions. ## Share from File Explorer (Desktop) If OneDrive is synced to your computer: 1. Right-click the file in File Explorer. 2. Select **Share** (OneDrive icon). 3. The same sharing dialog appears. ## External Sharing Sharing with people outside your organization depends on your organization's settings. If external sharing is enabled: 1. Choose **Anyone with the link** or enter the external email address. 2. The external person receives an email with a link to access the file. If external sharing is disabled, you will see a message saying sharing outside the organization is not allowed. Contact your IT provider to request an exception or use an alternative method (like emailing the file as an attachment). ## Manage Shared Files 1. In OneDrive web, click **Shared** in the left sidebar to see files shared with you and files you shared with others. 2. To stop sharing, open the file's sharing settings and remove people or disable the link. ## Best Practices Share with specific people instead of "Anyone with the link" for sensitive files. Use "Can view" unless the person needs to edit. Set expiration dates on shared links when available. Review shared files periodically and remove access that is no longer needed. For team collaboration, use SharePoint or Teams instead of sharing individual OneDrive files.