As a working professional working with Office 365 and SharePoint for a long time now, I have heard these questions from so many client how to share SharePoint site with external users without disrupting security. Nowadays, most of the companies are collaborating with freelancers and influencers for their business growth and marketing, and SharePoint makes this possible if managed properly.
In this guide, I will cover everything, like permissions, settings, and common errors. Also show you how you can Office 365 SharePoint site with external users securely without risking any of your data.
What Does Sharing a SharePoint Site With External Users Mean?
Before explaining how to share SharePoint site with external users, it is important for you to understand what sharing a SharePoint site with external users means. External users can be refer as people who are outside your Microsoft tenant or team. In order to gain the acces of your SharePoint site, they need to use their email address, and after that, they will receive either guest access or link-based permissions.
While sharing the SharePoint site with external users, I only give access to read and edit; it can vary as per the business needs. In Microsoft, you have the privilege of granular control, so you never have to expose more data than required.
Related article: How to Archive SharePoint Site
Requirements Before You Share a SharePoint Site Externally
In order to understand how to share Office 365 SharePoint site with external users, you need to know how to set up settings at two levels:
- Microsoft 365 Admin center
The external sharing feature is enabled by the higher level, and in case it is blocked, then there is no other option to share the site externally.
- SharePoint Admin center
In SharePoint, every site collection has its own sharing policy. So if the admins enabled the permissions, then also sometimes you are unable to share the site externally if you don’t have the site-level permission.
Checking settings every time first befor attemption to share the site is a good habit, because most sharing issues start here.
Related guide: How to Change Site Owner in SharePoint Online
How to Share SharePoint Site With External Users (Step-by-Step)
Personally, I follow these steps exactly while sharing the SharePoint site to external user:
- Step 1. Open the SharePoint site: Log in to Microsoft 365 using your correct credentials and open the SharePoint site you want to share.
- Step 2. Click “Settings” then “Site Permissions”: Go to the top right corner and access site permissions.
- Step 3. Select “Share Site”: Now, enter the external user’s email address and choose the permission level.
- Step 4. Send invitation: the external user is able to access the site once they accept the invitation they received.
Using this method regularly, make sure that I am not risking my data or facing any access issues when I have to share Office 365 SharePoint site with external users.
Permission Levels Explained for External Users
If you want to learn how to share SharePoint site with external users, then understanding permissions is a key factor. Let’s check them out:
- Read: Refers to the user have view only access
- Edit: The user can only upload and modify files
- Full control: I personally don’t recommend this, as it gives full control over a site to an external user
Granting the right level of permission always ensures that you are not risking your data.
Sharing SharePoint Files VS Entire Sites
Sometimes, there is no need to share full site access to the user. Most of the time, I recommend sharing specific folders or files instead. It is important in the process of learning share Office 365 SharePoint site with external users. If required:
- Share a single file
- Share a document library
- Share the entire site
This flexibility helps you in sharing your Office 365 SharePoint site or a specific folder with external users as per the business requirement.
Related article: How to Permanently Delete SharePoint Site Without Losing Data
Unable to Share SharePoint Site With External Users- Common Reasons
Here are the most common reasons you will ever come across that I personally faced and resolved in the process of learning how to share SharePoint site with external users:
1. External sharing disabled: If the permissions are not enabled from the tenant level or site level, then you won’t be able to share any SharePoint site with external users.
2. Email Domain restrictions: If your IT team or organizations restrict site sharing to external users.
3. Guest invitation blocked: Sometimes, Azure AD guest settings may block invitations.
4. Expired or revoked access: Sometimes it happens that an external user’s access might get expired on its own.
If any of the users or clients I am working with face the issue of being unable to share SharePoint with external users, then I shared these settings to them as fixing these settings resolves the issue mostly.
Best Practices When Sharing SharePoint Externally
While understanding how to share Sharepoint site with external users, I never ignore security as this is the main pillar to avoid any kind of breach. Here is what I personally do:
- Always setting an expiry date on sharing links to users so they don’t work after a certain period of time.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for better security
- Check and review external users every three months
- Use anonymous links only when there is no other option left
These are some good habits you need to follow if you share SharePoint site with external users, as it gives you confidence and avoids leakage of data.
Managing and Removing External User Access
Sharing is not something that stays forever. In the process of learning how to share a site with users, it is important for everyone who shares the site regularly to know how to remove or revoke access when needed. You can:
- Remove users from site permissions at any point
- Disable guest access in Azure AD, so they don’t have any access to do anything
- Again, always share inks for which expiry dates are set up
For security reasons, I always review who has access after I share an Office 365 SharePoint site with external users, when the project is only for short periods of time.
Migrating External Sharing Data Between SharePoint Sites
In real-life scenarios, companies require moving SharePoint sites when the company’s tenants change or during mergers. It is hard for the organization to keep external sharing permissions, as it can be a tricky and time-consuming thing when everything major is going on.
This is where using a professional and reliable tool can be a wise decision, and I recommend SharePoint Migration Tool Download it to help you in migrating SharePoint sites and permissions securely and smoothly. If you already set up how to share SharePoint site with external users, this tool is a great asset because the sharing settings remain unchanged after migration. Try it for free now.
This tool is very good for a business that regularly share Office 365 SharePoint site with external users; using this tool reduces downtime and avoids the mistakes that often happen with manual migration.
Author’s Verdict
After working with Microsoft all these years, I can confidently say that understanding how to share SharePoint site with external users is a key to modern collaboration. When done correctly, it can reduce the risk of data loss and allow smooth teamwork. By following the proper steps that I have shared earlier and using a reliable tool mentioned above, you can safely share Office 365 SharePoint site with external users at scale.
If you still can’t share your SharePoint site with external users, then check the admin settings or use a migration and management tool to save a lot of your time.
FAQ’s
Q. How long can external users access SharePoint files?
It depends on the settings, as you can share the link for permanent access or set an expiration time for it.
Q. Can external users access my Office 365 SharePoint site safely?
Yes, external users can access your Office 365 SharePoint site as it provides multiple security controls for safe sharing.
Q. Is it possible to control what external users can see or edit?
Yes, you can assign Read or Edit permissions as needed
Q. Do external users need to have a Microsoft account to open or access a SharePoint site?
Yes, external users must sign in using a Microsoft or work email support
Q. Is it possible to remove an external user’s access later?
Yes, you can revoke access at any point