Permission & Access Issues

How to Share a SharePoint List View with Specific Users Only

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to create and share a custom SharePoint list view that is restricted so only specific users, such as site owners, can view certain approval columns or confidential tracking data.

How to Share a SharePoint List View with Specific Users Only

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Securing sensitive information like employee vacation requests or approval columns within a shared SharePoint list.
Observed behavior: SharePoint Online does not provide an out-of-the-box feature to restrict list views to specific users; anyone with access to the list can generally access all of its views.

Before you start

Ensure you have Full Control or Site Owner permissions for the SharePoint site, as you will need to modify list settings or manage list permissions to implement these workarounds.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Item-Level Security

Use item-level permissions to restrict users to reading and editing only the items they created. This is perfect for confidential records like employee tracking.

Since you cannot restrict a specific view, limiting access at the item level ensures that regular users only see their own submissions regardless of which view they select. Site owners or administrators will still be able to see all items.

Access List Settings

Navigate to your SharePoint list, click the Gear icon (Settings) in the top right corner, and select 'List settings'.

Open Advanced Settings

Under the General Settings column, click on 'Advanced settings'.

Configure Item-Level Permissions

Locate the 'Item-level Permissions' section. Change 'Read access' to 'Read items that were created by the user' and 'Create and Edit access' to 'Create items and edit items that were created by the user'.

Save Changes

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'OK' to apply the new permission rules.

Administrator Access: Users with the 'Design' or 'Full Control' permission level (like Site Owners) bypass this restriction and will still see all items in the list.

Solution 2

Use a Separate Restricted List

Move sensitive columns (like manager approvals) to a completely separate list and restrict access to that list exclusively to site owners.

Solution 3

Customize the List Form via Power Apps

Use Microsoft Power Apps to hide specific fields or columns based on the current user's role.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I password protect a specific view in a SharePoint list?

No, SharePoint Online does not support password protection or permission restrictions on individual list views. Access is managed at the site, list, or item level.

How do I submit a feature request to Microsoft for SharePoint?

You can suggest features or report limitations by visiting the official Microsoft Feedback Portal for SharePoint and submitting your idea so other users can vote on it.

Are hidden columns in a SharePoint view completely secure?

No. Removing a column from a default view does not secure the data. Any user with access to the list can easily create a personal view or modify the current view to display the hidden columns.

Document & File Issues