Permission & Access Issues

Fix OneDrive Shared Folder Allows Editing but Files Are Read-Only

Aamir Naveed Akram Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are unable to edit files within a OneDrive or SharePoint shared folder, despite having 'Can Edit' permissions for the parent folder itself.

How to Fix OneDrive Shared Folder Allowing Editing but Files Are Read-Only

Product: OneDrive / SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating on files shared via OneDrive or SharePoint.
Observed behavior: The parent folder displays 'Can Edit' access, but when shared users open the files inside, they open in Read-Only mode and cannot be modified.

Before you start

Ensure you have the owner or administrator rights to the shared folder and files in OneDrive or SharePoint before attempting to modify access permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify and Update Individual File Permissions

Individual files within a folder can inherit or have custom permissions that override the parent folder's settings. Checking the specific file's access rights usually resolves the issue.

In SharePoint and OneDrive, file permissions usually inherit from the parent folder. However, if a file was moved or had restrictions placed on it previously, it might retain those old settings. Updating the individual file's permissions will restore access.

Locate the file

Navigate to the specific file in your OneDrive or SharePoint document library where users are experiencing the read-only issue.

Open Manage Access

Click the three dots (ellipsis) next to the file name and select 'Manage access' from the context menu.

Review current permissions

Review the current permissions for the affected users to see if they are restricted to 'Can view' instead of 'Can edit'.

Grant edit access

Change the permission level for the appropriate users to 'Can edit' and save the changes.

Verify and Update Individual File Permissions

Permission Inheritance: If you notice that many files have this issue, you may need to go to the advanced permissions settings in SharePoint to restore permission inheritance from the parent folder.

Solution 2

Re-Share the Folder or File Directly

Generating a new sharing link with explicit edit permissions can restore access if previous sharing links have glitched or permissions failed to propagate correctly.

Solution 3

Copy to a New Document Library

If permissions are corrupted on a specific file, copying the file to a fresh environment can reset its access rules to match the new destination.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a file have different permissions than its parent folder in OneDrive?

Files can have different permissions if they were shared individually before being moved to the folder, or if someone explicitly stopped permission inheritance and set custom access rules for that specific file.

Does the OneDrive desktop app sync permissions immediately?

Permission changes made on the web may take a few moments to sync to the desktop app. If a user is encountering read-only errors locally, ask them to force a manual sync or restart the OneDrive client.

How do I remove 'Read-Only' from a file downloaded from a shared folder?

Right-click the downloaded file on your computer, select Properties, uncheck the 'Read-only' attribute at the bottom of the General tab, and click Apply. Note that this only changes the local copy, not the shared cloud file.

Document & File Issues