How to Prevent SharePoint Site Members from Creating Top-Level Folders
Question details
An administrator needs to allow SharePoint site members to work with documents while restricting them from creating new folders at the root level of a document library.
- Product
- SharePoint Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing library permissions to maintain an organized folder structure and prevent users from cluttering the root directory.
- Observed behavior
- Currently, users with standard Edit permissions can create both files and top-level folders without restriction, leading to a disorganized root directory.
Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions before modifying document library settings and permission inheritance.
Break Inheritance and Restrict Top-Level Uploads
Since SharePoint does not separate file and folder creation permissions, the most effective approach is restricting the top level to Read-only and directing users to specific subfolders.
SharePoint groups both file and folder creation under the 'Add Items' permission. To block folder creation at the root while allowing file uploads in subdirectories, you must break permission inheritance.
Navigate to the Document Library settings, click on 'Permissions for this document library', and select 'Stop Inheriting Permissions'.
Select the Members group, click 'Edit User Permissions', and change their permission level from 'Edit' to 'Read'.
Navigate to the specific subfolders where members need to upload files, break the inheritance on each of those folders, and grant the Members group 'Edit' access.
Disable Folder Creation Entirely via Library Settings
If your organizational policy is to use metadata instead of folders, you can disable the 'New Folder' command for the entire library.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I allow members to upload files but not folders using standard SharePoint permissions?
No, SharePoint's standard 'Edit' or 'Contribute' permission levels group both file and folder creation together under the 'Add Items' permission. You must use workarounds like folder-level permissions or disabling folder creation entirely.
Will users still be able to drag and drop folders if the 'New Folder' command is disabled?
Yes. If you only disable the 'New Folder' command in Advanced Settings, users with Edit permissions might still be able to upload entire folders via drag-and-drop or through OneDrive sync. To strictly prevent this, you must apply Read-only permissions at the root level.
How do I revert permission inheritance in a SharePoint library?
Go to Library settings, open the permissions page, and click 'Delete unique permissions' in the top ribbon. This will immediately restore the library to inherit standard permissions from the parent SharePoint site.
