OneDrive: Getting The Sharing Link For A File

Owned by Tyler Kron-Piatek
Last updated: Apr 28, 2022

In some cases, you may not want to send an automated message when you share a file in OneDrive (as in this tutorial video). Maybe you want to include other information, like additional instructions, or just send it with your email so that the receiver knows it is you sending the link. Whatever the case might be, you can view the steps below to get just the link.

Table of Contents

Getting A New Sharing Link

This is best if the file has not been shared before, if you want to create a unique link for the recipient, or if you want to give the recipient permissions that differ from your other sharing links. 

1Hover over the file/folder that you want to share and click on the Sharing Symbol.

2

In the menu that appears, find the "Copy link" section and click on "Anyone with the link can view" to get the link-sharing options.

NOTE: If you do not want to change any options, just click on "Copy" to the right of "Anyone with the link can view". This will give you a sharing link that anyone can view (and can only view), without needing to sign in.

3

Choose your options. In this case, we are just going to use "People in canisius.edu with the link". Then hit"Apply" when you are done.

NOTE: If you choose specific people, you will need to type in their email addresses. 

4

When you do, a new window will appear with the new sharing link. Either use CMD+C (Mac), CTRL+C (Windows), or click on the blue "Copy" button to copy the link. You can then use this in an email or webpage.

If you forgot to change a specific option, you can click on "People in canisius.edu with the link can view" (or whatever base option you chose) to go back to the link-sharing options menu.

Using An Existing Sharing Link

This is best if you are sharing with someone who needs the same permissions as other people you have shared with or simply have an existing sharing link that you want to use.

1Hover over the file/folder that you want to share and click on the Sharing Symbol.

2In the menu that appears, find the section titled "Shared with" under the "Copy link" section. Click on any of the link symbols or user icons to go to the Manage Access Menu.

3.1

Then, find the sharing link that you want to copy and click on "Copy". You can then paste this into an email or webpage.

NOTE: If you used the "People you specify..." sharing option, you will need to add the recipient's email to that link for the recipient to be able to access the file using that link. See the Steps below.

3.2To add a person to a "People you specify..." link, click on the 3 dots to the right of the link you want to copy.

4In the menu that appears, you can edit some of the link-sharing options and also add a recipient. To add a recipient, click on "Specify people for this link" in the "This link works for" section. Then type in the recipients email address.

5Hit the blue "Save" button in the lower-right. You may need to use the scroll bar on the right-hand side of the menu to see it.

6When you click on Save, it will take you back to the Manage Access Menu. Click on "Copy" to the right of the link that you want to share to get the sharing link.

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