Permission & Access Issues

Do Anonymous OneDrive Edit Links Allow Full Folder Permissions?

Nimra Malik Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know if it is possible to grant full contributor permissions, including deleting and renaming files, to unauthenticated users via an anonymous OneDrive edit link.

Do Anonymous OneDrive Edit Links Allow Full Folder Permissions?

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Sharing an organizational OneDrive folder with external users who do not have accounts, so they can manage folder contents collaboratively.
Observed behavior: Users accessing the folder via an "Anyone" edit link can successfully upload and create files, but they are prevented from deleting or renaming any existing files in the folder.

Before you start

Verify your organization's external sharing policies with your IT administrator, as organizational settings heavily dictate the maximum permissions allowed for unauthenticated external sharing links.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Authenticated Sharing for Full Contributor Access

Because "Anyone" links restrict delete and rename capabilities by design, you must share the folder with specific, authenticated users to grant them full contributor access.

Microsoft intentionally restricts the "Anyone with the link" sharing option. While recipients can edit document contents and upload new files, they cannot delete or rename existing files in a shared folder. This is a security measure to prevent accidental or malicious data loss by untraceable, anonymous users. To provide full folder permissions, you must use authenticated sharing.

Open OneDrive Sharing

Navigate to your OneDrive or SharePoint document library, select the folder you want to share, and click the "Share" icon.

Change the Link Type

Click on the current link settings (which might say 'Anyone with the link can edit') to open the Link settings menu.

Select Specific People

Choose the "Specific people" option to require authentication, ensure the permission dropdown is set to "Can edit", and click "Apply".

Send the Invitation

Enter the email addresses of the external users who need full access and click "Send". They will receive a secure link requiring them to verify their identity before accessing the folder with full delete and rename permissions.

Use Authenticated Sharing for Full Contributor Access

Identity Verification Required: External recipients do not necessarily need a Microsoft account; they can often authenticate using a secure one-time verification code sent to their email address.

Solution 2

Verify Organization Sharing Policies in SharePoint Admin Center

If you are an IT administrator, you should verify that your tenant's external sharing policies are not inadvertently restricting anonymous link permissions further than default.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't anonymous users delete files in my shared OneDrive folder?

Microsoft restricts "Anyone with the link" edit permissions by design to prevent data loss. Because these users are anonymous and untraceable, allowing them to delete or rename files poses a significant security risk to organizational data.

How do I let external users fully manage files without a Microsoft account?

You must share the folder using the "Specific people" option and send it to their email address. They will not need a permanent Microsoft account, but they will be required to verify their identity via a one-time passcode sent to their email in order to get delete and rename capabilities.

Can an IT admin force anonymous links to have full delete permissions?

No. Even if your organization's sharing policies are set to the most permissive level, anonymous folder edit links intentionally restrict deletion and renaming. There is no admin toggle to override this fundamental security behavior.

Document & File Issues