Permission & Access Issues

How to Prevent OneDrive Sharing Links from Expiring for External Partners

Adam Davis Oct 7, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs a way to stop OneDrive or SharePoint sharing links from automatically expiring for external partners.

Prevent OneDrive Access from Expiring for External Partners

Product: Microsoft OneDrive / SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collaborating with external partners who require long-term or uninterrupted editing access to shared files or folders.
Observed behavior: Sharing links expire automatically after a pre-configured number of days, forcing the file owner to manually grant editing access again.

Before you start

You will need administrator privileges for Microsoft 365 or SharePoint to modify organizational link expiration policies. Standard users can only select expiration dates within the limits set by their IT admin.

Solution 1Recommended

Modify External Sharing Link Expiration Policies in SharePoint Admin Center

This is the recommended method for administrators to globally extend or disable the mandatory expiration period for external sharing links across the organization.

Organizational security policies often enforce a default expiration on 'Anyone' links to prevent indefinite external access. Removing or extending this limit allows external partners to retain access without interruption.

Log in to the Admin Center

Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center and log in with your global or SharePoint administrator credentials.

Access SharePoint Admin Policies

From the left-hand navigation menu, click on 'SharePoint' to open the SharePoint admin center, then expand the 'Policies' section and select 'Sharing'.

Adjust Expiration Settings

Scroll down to the 'Choose expiration and permissions options for Anyone links' section. Uncheck the box that says 'These links must expire within this many days' to disable expiration entirely, or increase the number of days to extend the duration.

Save Changes

Click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the page to apply the new sharing policy to your organization.

Modify External Sharing Link Expiration Policies in SharePoint Admin Center

Policy Propagation Delay: It may take a few hours for the new sharing policies to propagate and take effect across all OneDrive and SharePoint sites in your tenant.

Solution 2

Set a Custom Expiration Date for Individual Shared Links

If your organization permits it, individual users can manually extend the expiration date when creating a sharing link up to the maximum limit allowed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my OneDrive external sharing links keep expiring?

Organizations often configure a default expiration policy in Microsoft 365 for security purposes. This ensures that anonymous 'Anyone' links do not remain active indefinitely, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Can I disable link expiration without administrator rights?

No. If your organization enforces a mandatory expiration policy for external links, only a Microsoft 365 or SharePoint administrator has the permissions to disable or extend the maximum limit from the admin center.

How do external partners regain access after a link expires?

Once a link expires, the external partner will receive an access denied error. The original file owner must navigate to the file, generate a brand new sharing link, and send it to the partner.

Will previously generated links update automatically if the admin changes the policy?

No. Changing the expiration policy in the admin center only applies to newly generated links. Existing links that have already been created will retain their original expiration date.

Document & File Issues