How to Set the Default SharePoint Sharing Option for New Sites
Question details
The user wants to configure 'Only site owners can share' as the default sharing permission for all newly created SharePoint sites across their organization.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Administrating organization-wide sharing settings for newly provisioned SharePoint sites.
- Observed behavior
- The SharePoint admin center lacks a built-in global setting to automatically apply strict sharing permissions to newly created sites, leaving them with default open collaboration settings.
Ensure you have SharePoint Administrator privileges and access to the SharePoint Online Management Shell to execute automated site-provisioning scripts.
Use PowerShell or Automated Provisioning Scripts
Apply the 'Only site owners can share' setting programmatically during site creation, as the admin center lacks a global UI toggle for this specific default behavior.
Microsoft SharePoint is designed to encourage collaboration, meaning new sites default to allowing members to share files. Because there is no organization-level setting in the SharePoint admin center to restrict this globally upon site creation, administrators must rely on custom scripting.
You can achieve this by incorporating a PowerShell script into your automated site-provisioning process that updates the sharing capability immediately after a site is generated.
Download and install the latest version of the SharePoint Online Management Shell or PnP PowerShell module on your computer.
Open PowerShell and connect to your tenant using the Connect-SPOService cmdlet, authenticating with your SharePoint Administrator credentials.
Run a provisioning script that utilizes cmdlets like Set-SPOSite with the appropriate parameters (such as updating DisableMembersCanShare) to enforce the owner-only sharing rule on newly generated site URLs.
Because the exact PowerShell script structure depends heavily on your specific SharePoint environment and the types of sites being created, visit the official Microsoft Q&A community or Microsoft Learn documentation to request or copy the most up-to-date script implementation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I manually change the sharing settings for an existing SharePoint site?
Yes. You can manually adjust sharing settings by navigating to the SharePoint admin center, selecting Active sites, clicking on the specific site name, and modifying its permissions under the Sharing tab.
Why doesn't Microsoft offer a global UI setting for new site default sharing?
SharePoint is built around a modern workplace philosophy that encourages open teamwork. As a result, Microsoft defaults sites to more permissive collaboration settings, requiring administrators to use customized provisioning scripts if strict governance and restricted sharing are required.
Is it possible to use Power Automate instead of PowerShell to set default site sharing options?
Yes. Administrators can design a site provisioning workflow using Microsoft Power Automate and the Microsoft Graph API to automatically apply the necessary sharing restrictions immediately after a new site is requested and approved.
