Permission & Access Issues

How to Hide SharePoint Folder Activity and Access Information

WPS Content Manager Oct 12, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to prevent individuals with access to a SharePoint folder from seeing the folder's activity history and the identities of other users who have access.

How to Hide SharePoint Folder Activity and Access Information

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Securing shared directories so that users can access their files without seeing the audit trails, recent file activity, or the names and details of other collaborators.
Observed behavior: SharePoint natively displays folder activity and sharing information to all users who have access, and there is no standard built-in setting to hide these details from regular users.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions on the SharePoint site to modify document library structures and advanced permission settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Separate Document Libraries or Sites

Since SharePoint does not have a native feature to hide access information within a single shared folder, isolating content into separate libraries or sites is the most secure workaround.

By moving sensitive data and specific user groups to entirely separate SharePoint sites or document libraries, you ensure that users can only see the activity and membership of the library they are explicitly granted access to, keeping other users' activities completely hidden.

Create a new Document Library

Go to your SharePoint site's home page, click the 'New' button in the top left corner, and select 'Document library'.

Configure Library Name and Settings

Name the library according to the specific user or group that will access it, and click 'Create'.

Adjust Library Permissions

Click the gear icon (Settings) > 'Library settings' > 'More library settings' > 'Permissions for this document library'. Click 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' and remove all users except those who specifically need access.

Use Separate Document Libraries or Sites

Privacy Guaranteed: This method completely eliminates the risk of users seeing unauthorized folder activity, as the environment is entirely siloed.

Solution 2

Configure Unique Permissions (Break Inheritance)

Limit who can see a specific folder and its contents by breaking permission inheritance at the folder level.

Solution 3

Submit a Feature Request or Use Custom Scripts

Explore developer solutions or advocate for Microsoft to add a native toggle for hiding access information.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who can see the activity details in a SharePoint folder by default?

By default, any user who has been granted at least 'Read' access to a SharePoint folder or document library can view the recent activity and see who else has access to that specific folder via the details pane.

Is there a built-in toggle to disable the 'Manage Access' or 'Details' pane?

No, SharePoint currently does not offer a standard out-of-the-box setting to completely hide or disable the Details pane (which shows activity and access) for users who have legitimate read or edit access to the content.

Can I hide the members of a SharePoint group?

Yes. While you cannot hide folder access easily, you can hide the members of a SharePoint Group. Go to Site Settings > People and Groups > Group Settings, and change 'Who can view the membership of the group?' from 'Everyone' to 'Group Members' or 'Group Owner'.

Will breaking permission inheritance hide the folder from search results?

Yes, if you break inheritance and remove a user's permission to a folder, that folder and its contents will no longer appear in that user's SharePoint search results, effectively hiding its existence from them.

Document & File Issues