How to Enable Anyone with the Link Sharing in OneDrive
Question details
The user wants to enable anonymous guest links to share OneDrive for Business files with anyone.
- Product
- OneDrive for Business
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Sharing files externally using a public link that does not require the recipient to sign in.
- Observed behavior
- The "Anyone with the link" option is disabled or greyed out when attempting to share OneDrive files.
You will need administrator access to the Microsoft 365 admin center to modify organization-wide external sharing policies.
Enable Anonymous Guest Links in Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Modify the user-level and organization-wide external sharing policies in the admin center to allow anonymous links.
In Microsoft 365, external sharing settings are controlled at the administrative level. If the "Anyone with the link" option is missing or disabled, the tenant's external sharing policies restrict anonymous access by default.
Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in using your global or SharePoint administrator credentials.
In the left navigation pane, expand 'Users' and select 'Active users'. Search for and click on the specific user or administrator account encountering the issue.
In the user properties panel that appears on the right, click the 'OneDrive' tab. Select 'Manage external sharing' under the Sharing section.
Check the box next to 'Let people outside your organization access your site' and ensure 'Allow sharing with anonymous guest links and authenticated users' is selected. Click 'Save changes'.
If the option is still unavailable, open the SharePoint admin center. Go to 'Policies' > 'Sharing' and ensure that the slider for both SharePoint and OneDrive is set to 'Anyone' (the most permissive setting). Save the configuration.
Experience Hassle-Free Document Sharing with WPS Office
Configuring administrative sharing policies in Microsoft 365 can be restrictive and time-consuming. WPS Office offers a powerful, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative with intuitive built-in cloud sharing features that work seamlessly without complex admin center setups.
- 1. Open your file in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office and open the document, spreadsheet, or presentation you want to share.
- 2. Click on the Share button: Locate and click the 'Share' button in the top right corner of the workspace.
- 3. Create a sharing link: Select 'Create Link', choose your preferred permission settings (such as Anyone with the link), and copy the URL to share instantly with your collaborators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'Anyone with the link' greyed out in my OneDrive?
This option is usually disabled by your organization's IT administrator for security and compliance reasons. The organization-wide SharePoint and OneDrive external sharing policies must be set to 'Anyone' in the Microsoft 365 admin center to enable this feature.
Can I enable anonymous sharing for just one specific folder?
External sharing settings are fundamentally governed at the site or organizational level in Microsoft 365. You cannot override a restrictive global policy for just one folder. The global admin settings must permit 'Anyone' links first, after which you can apply that permission to specific folders.
How long does it take for the OneDrive sharing settings to apply?
After an administrator updates the external sharing settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours for the policy changes to propagate fully and appear in the OneDrive sharing menu.
