Sharing and collaborating on files

When you first create a file in OneDrive, only you can access it. Files in Teams and SharePoint inherit permissions from the Team site or SharePoint site. You can share files or folders with others to view or edit collaboratively.

You can move files between storage locations as their purpose changes. For example, you might create and collaborate on a draft in OneDrive, then move it to a Team site for sharing and distribution.

Start sharing a file by selecting it in OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint and clicking Share, or by opening the file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint and clicking Share.

• Anyone links can be used by people outside of UWE Bristol, although they will need to create a Microsoft account if they don’t already have one. These links will automatically expire after 12 months, or less if the link creator chooses to reduce this default expiry period.
• People in UWE Bristol includes all students and staff.
• People you choose allows you to designate specific individuals.
• People currently in this chat or Only <Team name> are used in Microsoft Teams to help you set the right permissions when you share a file in a Teams chat or channel.

Use sharing links to replace email attachments wherever possible. The 'Attach File' menu in Outlook lists recent files from OneDrive and Teams, or you can browse to choose the correct file. When you insert a link to a OneDrive or Teams file, Outlook will attempt to check if the recipients have access to the file.

Although you can share any file or folder in OneDrive or Teams, it is important to be aware of which files you are sharing, especially in Teams, because all team members should be aware of how widely files are shared.

• Consider keeping all shared files in one folder within OneDrive and each Team site, with separate subfolders for different sharing groups if this adds clarity.
• Keep sharing to a minimum in Teams. Consider storing files in a location that the relevant audience can access, and consider making them members of the Team rather than sharing multiple links with them.
• Do not accept “request for access” notifications unless you are sure which files, folders, or sites the request is referring to.
• Regularly review files shared with others to ensure they still require access. See files you shared in OneDrive (Microsoft website).

To check which types of links you have created and applied to your files, you can generate a report from OneDrive:

1. Go to https://onedrive.com and log in with your UWE Bristol username and password.
2. Go to Settings > OneDrive settings > More Settings > Run sharing report. This report lists all sharing links you’ve created.

To check links on individual files:

1. Open the file you want to check.
2. Go to Share > Manage Access > Links. All sharing links, including Anyone links, will be listed here.

More information can be found via the Microsoft Website:

• Choose where to store files in the cloud (Microsoft website)
• How to share files and folders (Microsoft website).