Permission & Access Issues

How to Share SharePoint Files and Folders with a Security Group

Rana Garcia Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to grant a security group access to a SharePoint folder without creating a new Microsoft 365 group, but the target security group does not appear in the search results.

How to Share SharePoint Files with a Security Group

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing folder access and granting unique permissions to user groups without creating a full Microsoft 365 group or a separate SharePoint site.
Observed behavior: The security group cannot be found or selected when using the standard 'Manage access' or 'Share' dialog for a SharePoint folder, even if it has library-level access.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions in SharePoint, and verify that you can access the Microsoft 365 admin center if you need to modify group types.

Solution 1Recommended

Create or Use a Mail-Enabled Security Group

Standard Azure security groups sometimes do not appear in the SharePoint sharing dialog. Using a mail-enabled security group natively resolves this issue.

SharePoint sharing functionalities often require groups to have an associated email address to send sharing notifications. Standard security groups created in Azure might not appear in the 'Manage access' search bar for direct sharing.

Access the Admin Center

Log into the Microsoft 365 admin center using an administrator account.

Navigate to Groups

Go to 'Teams & groups' > 'Active teams and groups' > 'Security groups' in the left-hand navigation pane.

Add a Mail-Enabled Security Group

Click on 'Add a mail-enabled security group' and follow the wizard to name the group, set an email address, and add members.

Share the Folder

Return to your SharePoint folder, click 'Manage access' or 'Share', and search for the newly created mail-enabled security group. It should now appear in the results.

Create or Use a Mail-Enabled Security Group

Propagation Delay: Newly created mail-enabled security groups may take up to 60 minutes to sync and become searchable across all SharePoint sites.

Solution 2

Configure Unique Permissions via Advanced Settings

If folders have unique permissions breaking inheritance from the library, you may need to add the security group directly via Advanced Permission Settings.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my security group not showing up in SharePoint?

SharePoint's modern sharing dialog often restricts direct sharing to mail-enabled security groups or Microsoft 365 groups so it can send email notifications. A standard Azure security group might not populate in the access search bar.

Can I share a SharePoint folder without creating a new Microsoft 365 group?

Yes. You can use an existing mail-enabled security group or assign permissions directly via the folder's Advanced Permission Settings without needing to generate a full Microsoft 365 group and its associated resources.

How do I fix broken permission inheritance in a new folder?

Navigate to the folder's 'Manage access' menu, click 'Advanced', and select 'Delete unique permissions' to inherit from the parent library, or use 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' to manually assign custom security group access.

Document & File Issues