Permission & Access Issues

How to Share SharePoint Files as Read-Only with External Users

Nimra Malik Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to share SharePoint documents and folders externally with read-only access but is facing organizational sharing restrictions.

How to Share SharePoint Files as Read-Only with External Users

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to share classified or NDA-protected documents with external customers or partners in a read-only format when standard sharing options are disabled by IT.
Observed behavior: The user is unable to generate external sharing links because they are not the document owner, lack the necessary permissions, or the IT manager has restricted external sharing options.

Before you start

Verify your current permission level on the SharePoint site. External sharing typically requires 'Edit' or 'Full Control' access, and your organization's IT administrator must have external sharing enabled at the tenant level.

Solution 1Recommended

Request IT Administrator to Enable 'Anyone' Links

If external sharing is blocked at the organization level, your IT administrator must update the tenant settings to allow anonymous guest links.

SharePoint administrators often restrict external sharing by default to protect sensitive company data. To allow employees to share documents without requiring external users to log in, an administrator must adjust the global or site-level sharing policies.

Contact your IT Admin

Reach out to your IT department and request them to open the SharePoint admin center.

Navigate to Sharing Policies

The administrator needs to expand 'Policies' in the left menu and select 'Sharing'.

Adjust External Sharing Settings

Under 'External sharing', adjust the SharePoint slider to 'Anyone' to permit links that do not require sign-in.

Enable Site-Level Sharing

The admin must also ensure that the specific site housing your documents is set to allow 'Anyone' links under its individual site settings.

Generate the Read-Only Link

Once enabled, return to your document, click 'Share', select 'Anyone with the link', uncheck the 'Allow editing' box to enforce read-only access, and click 'Apply' to copy the link.

Request IT Administrator to Enable 'Anyone' Links

Security Consideration: When 'Anyone' links are enabled, anyone possessing the link can view the file. Administrators can set expiration dates for these links to enhance security.

Solution 2

Set Up a Dedicated External Sharing Site

If IT is unwilling to enable external sharing on internal sites, ask them to provision a separate, isolated site specifically for external distribution.

Solution 3

Request Document Owner Approval

If external sharing is allowed but you only have view access, you must request sharing approval from the document owner.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Simplify External Document Sharing with WPS Office

If strict SharePoint policies make it difficult to share documents with external clients, consider using WPS Office. As a lightweight, highly compatible alternative, WPS Office allows you to easily generate secure, read-only links for your files without navigating complex IT administrative barriers.

1. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Office and open the document you wish to share.
2. Access Sharing Options: Click the 'Share' button located in the top right corner of the application interface.
3. Generate Read-Only Link: Select 'Create Link', configure the permission settings to 'View Only', and copy the link to send to your external partners.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats, ensuring external users see documents exactly as intended.Easily generate read-only sharing links directly from the WPS interface.Lightweight software with a familiar user interface that requires no learning curve.Seamless file synchronization and management across all devices with WPS Cloud.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 'Anyone with the link' sharing option grayed out in SharePoint?

This option is grayed out when your organization's IT administrator has disabled anonymous external sharing at the tenant or site level to protect corporate data. You must contact your admin to enable this feature.

Can I share a SharePoint file externally if I only have 'View' permissions?

Generally, no. Users who only have view access cannot share SharePoint content with new external users. Depending on site settings, attempting to do so will usually send an access request to the document owner for approval.

How can I prevent external users from downloading the read-only SharePoint file?

When generating a read-only sharing link, select 'Anyone with the link' or 'Specific people', uncheck 'Allow editing', and toggle the 'Block download' switch to the 'On' position before generating the link.

Do external users need a Microsoft account to view read-only SharePoint documents?

If you share the document using an 'Anyone' link, external users do not need a Microsoft account or a sign-in to view it. If you share it with 'Specific people', they will receive a secure code via email to verify their identity before viewing.

Document & File Issues