Permission & Access Issues

How to Grant Selected Users Access to Draft Documents in SharePoint

Adam Davis Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to allow specific selected users to view draft documents in a SharePoint library without granting them broader edit or approver permissions.

How to Grant Selected Users Access to Draft Documents in SharePoint

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up a document review workflow where certain stakeholders need to see unpublished drafts, but default settings restrict this visibility.
Observed behavior: SharePoint's default Draft Item Security settings restrict draft visibility to users with Edit or Approve permissions, making it impossible to grant read-only draft access to specific users through standard list settings.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions for the SharePoint document library so you can modify versioning and permission settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a Separate Document Library for Reviewers

Since SharePoint does not offer a standalone permission just for viewing drafts, creating a separate library is the most reliable workaround to share drafts with selected users.

Access to draft items is natively controlled by Versioning settings, which restrict visibility to editors or approvers. By keeping working drafts in a separate library, you can apply custom permissions specifically for your reviewers before moving the final document to a public library.

Create a new Document Library

Navigate to your SharePoint site, click on 'New' in the top menu, and select 'Document library'. Name it 'Drafts Library' or similar.

Stop inheriting permissions

Go to the new library's Settings, click 'Library settings', then 'More library settings'. Click on 'Permissions for this document library' and select 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' from the ribbon.

Grant access to selected users

Remove any user groups that shouldn't see the drafts. Click 'Grant Permissions' and invite the specific users you want to review the drafts, assigning them 'Read' access.

Use a Separate Document Library for Reviewers

Workflow Integration: You can use Power Automate to automatically copy or move documents from this draft library to your main published library once they are approved.

Solution 2

Adjust Versioning Settings and Approver Groups

Modify the library's Draft Item Security to allow anyone with Edit permissions to view drafts, and assign the selected users to the Edit group.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I grant Read-Only users access to drafts in SharePoint?

By default, no. SharePoint's Draft Item Security settings limit draft visibility to users with Edit or Approve permissions. To allow read-only access to drafts, you must use a workaround, such as placing the drafts in a separate library with custom permissions.

Where do I find the Draft Item Security settings?

You can find these settings by navigating to your Document Library, clicking the Gear icon in the top right, selecting 'Library settings', clicking 'More library settings', and then clicking on 'Versioning settings'.

Why are my team members only seeing older versions of a document?

If minor versioning (drafts) is enabled on your library, team members who only have Read permissions will only see the last published major version. They will not see the updated document until a new major version is officially published.

Will Microsoft add a specific permission level just for viewing drafts?

Currently, this functionality is not available through standard list settings. Microsoft encourages users to submit such feature requests through the official SharePoint Feedback Portal.

Document & File Issues