How to Change the Expiration Date of Another User's SharePoint Link
Question details
A global administrator needs to extend a SharePoint or Teams folder sharing link after the employee who originally created it has left the organization.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator needs to modify external sharing permissions and extend a link's expiration date for a folder owned by a departed user.
- Observed behavior
- The Teams or SharePoint folder link shared with external users is set to expire after seven days, restricting ongoing collaboration unless manually extended.
Ensure you are logged in with Global Administrator or SharePoint Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 admin center before attempting to modify site memberships and access links.
Modify Link Expiration via SharePoint Admin Center
Take administrative ownership of the specific SharePoint site to manage its access links and extend the folder's expiration date.
When an employee leaves the organization, their sharing links remain active until they expire. Regular users cannot alter these links, but a site or global administrator can grant themselves access to the site to modify link properties without breaking the original URL.
Log in to the SharePoint admin center. On the left navigation pane, expand 'Sites' and click on 'Active sites'.
Select the specific site containing the shared folder. In the details panel that opens, click on 'Membership', then choose 'Site admins', and add your own administrator account.
Navigate directly to the SharePoint site URL. Open the document library and locate the specific folder that the former employee shared with external users.
Click the ellipsis (...) next to the folder name and select 'Manage access' from the dropdown menu to view all active sharing permissions.
In the Manage Access panel, navigate to the 'Links' section. Locate the specific sharing link, click on its settings (gear icon), and change the expiration date to your desired timeframe. Save the changes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I edit the SharePoint link expiration date as a regular team member?
Only the creator of the sharing link or a designated site administrator has the permissions required to modify link properties, including extending the expiration date. Regular members with edit access to the folder cannot alter links created by others.
Will changing the expiration date send a new notification to the external users?
No, updating the expiration date on an existing link does not automatically send a new email notification. The original link URL remains exactly the same, and users can continue to use it until the new expiration date is reached.
Can I remove the expiration date entirely from the sharing link?
Whether you can completely remove the expiration date depends on your organization's global SharePoint settings. If tenant-level policies enforce a maximum number of days for external sharing links, you can only extend the date up to that permitted maximum limit.
