How to Give Different Users Access to Separate OneDrive Subfolders
Question details
The user needs to provide specific customers with access to their respective subfolders without exposing all the subfolders contained within a shared parent OneDrive directory.
- Product
- OneDrive
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Sharing multiple subfolders located in a single parent directory with different individuals securely.
- Observed behavior
- A standard shared link to the parent folder grants all users uniform access to all subfolders, preventing restricted visibility on a per-user basis.
Ensure you have owner or full editing permissions for the parent OneDrive folder and have the exact email addresses of the users you intend to invite.
Assign Direct Subfolder Permissions and Share an Existing Access Link
By sharing each subfolder directly with the intended users and then generating a parent folder link for 'people with existing access', you can control exact visibility.
OneDrive does not support dynamic parent links that automatically route users to different private subfolders. Instead, you must grant permissions at the individual subfolder level first, and then share a link to the overarching parent folder that respects those previously set permissions.
Navigate to the specific subfolder in OneDrive, click the 'Share' or 'Manage Access' icon, and enter the email addresses of the users who should have access. Separate multiple email addresses with semicolons.
Apply the exact same direct-sharing process for each remaining subfolder, ensuring each user or group only receives an invitation to their designated folder.
Go up one directory level to the parent folder, click 'Share', click the gear icon or link settings, and change the link type to 'People with existing access'.
Copy and share this parent link with your clients. When users click it, OneDrive will only display the specific subfolders they were explicitly granted permission to view.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I paste multiple email addresses at once when sharing a OneDrive folder?
Yes. Format your list so that each email address is separated by a semicolon, then paste the entire block into the OneDrive sharing box to grant access to multiple users simultaneously.
Will users know other subfolders exist in the parent directory?
If you correctly use the 'People with existing access' link for the parent folder, users will only see and be able to open the subfolders they have explicit permission for. Other subfolders will remain invisible to them.
Why doesn't a standard 'Anyone with the link' work for this scenario?
A standard sharing link applies the exact same permission level across the entire folder and all of its contents. To restrict subfolder access on a per-user basis, you must assign permissions individually and rely on an existing access link instead.
