Permission & Access Issues

How to Stop OneDrive Permission Inheritance for New Subfolders

Bushra Parveen Oct 7, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to automatically disable permission inheritance for all newly created subfolders to avoid changing settings manually for hundreds of folders.

How to Stop OneDrive Permission Inheritance for New Subfolders

Product: Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating numerous subfolders in OneDrive or SharePoint that require unique access rights rather than inheriting from the parent folder.
Observed behavior: Subfolders automatically inherit permissions from their parent folders by default, and there is no built-in setting to automatically disable this inheritance for every new subfolder.

Before you start

Note that Microsoft 365 enforces permission inheritance by default to simplify access management. You will need SharePoint admin or Site Owner permissions to implement automated workarounds.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Microsoft Power Automate to Break Inheritance

Since there is no native global toggle, you can use Power Automate flows to automatically break inheritance whenever a new folder is created.

While SharePoint and OneDrive do not offer a default setting to disable inheritance for new subfolders, Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) can detect new folder creation and automatically convert inherited permissions to unique permissions.

Open Power Automate

Log into your Microsoft 365 account and launch the Power Automate application.

Create a new automated cloud flow

Click on 'Create' and select 'Automated cloud flow'. Choose the SharePoint trigger 'When an item or a file is created'.

Configure the trigger

Select your Site Address and Library Name where the new subfolders will be created.

Add an HTTP request action

Add a new step 'Send an HTTP request to SharePoint'. Configure it to use the POST method to break the role inheritance of the specific folder using the SharePoint REST API (e.g., breakroleinheritance(copyRoleAssignments=false, clearSubscopes=true)).

Grant new permissions

Add subsequent steps in your flow to grant specific access rights to dedicated SharePoint groups or users.

Use Microsoft Power Automate to Break Inheritance

API Knowledge Required: Setting up Power Automate to break inheritance requires basic familiarity with SharePoint REST API endpoints.

Solution 2

Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft

If automation does not fit your organization's workflow, the official recommendation from Microsoft support is to request a native feature update.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I disable OneDrive folder inheritance globally?

No, Microsoft currently does not provide a tenant-wide setting to automatically disable permission inheritance for all newly created subfolders in OneDrive or SharePoint.

How do I manually stop inheriting permissions for a single folder?

Right-click the specific folder, select 'Manage access', click on the 'Advanced' options, and then click the 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' button in the ribbon.

Does breaking inheritance affect the existing files inside that folder?

When you break inheritance, the folder and its current files will retain the previously inherited permissions as unique permissions until you manually remove or modify them.

Why does Microsoft force inheritance by default?

Inheritance simplifies overall access management by ensuring that users who are granted access to a parent directory automatically have access to its contents, reducing administrative overhead and preventing accidental lockouts.

Document & File Issues