Account Security Problems

How to Secure OneDrive After Sharing a Password with Employees

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to secure their business OneDrive account and prevent unauthorized access after previously sharing their account password with employees.

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Securing business files and restricting access after sharing account credentials with former or current employees.
Observed behavior: Former employees might still have access to business files, and shared credentials make it difficult to trace individual user actions on shared documents.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrator access to the Microsoft account associated with the OneDrive, and communicate the upcoming password change to current employees if they still require legitimate access via secure file sharing methods.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Your Account Password and Revoke Active Sessions

The most crucial step to secure your account is to change the password immediately and force a sign-out across all connected devices.

Changing your password prevents new logins, but active sessions may remain open. To ensure former employees are fully disconnected, you must actively revoke all existing sessions.

Change the password

Sign out everywhere

Navigate to the advanced security options and click on the 'Sign me out everywhere' feature to immediately revoke active sessions on all devices.

Immediate Revocation: It may take up to 24 hours for the system to force sign-outs on every single device, though most web sessions will expire immediately.

Solution 2

Review Sharing Permissions and Sign-in Activity

Check which files are shared and review recent sign-ins to detect any unauthorized access or lingering sharing links.

Solution 3

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Add an extra layer of security to prevent future unauthorized access even if the password is compromised.

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Securely Collaborate on Documents with WPS Office

Avoid sharing master account passwords by switching to WPS Office. With built-in WPS Cloud, you can securely share individual document links with granular permissions, ensuring your business files stay safe while maintaining full compatibility with Microsoft Office formats.

1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your device.
2. Upload to WPS Cloud: Log in to your WPS account and save your business documents to WPS Cloud.
3. Share Securely: Click the 'Share' button on any document to generate a secure link, and assign specific view-only or edit permissions to employees without sharing your account password.

Secure file sharing with customizable viewing and editing permissions.High compatibility with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.Free and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office.Built-in cloud storage for seamless and secure team collaboration.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I tell which employee modified a file if we shared a password?

No. If multiple people log in using the exact same account credentials, the system logs all actions under that single account identity. This makes it impossible to trace specific document changes or deletions back to an individual person.

How can I securely share OneDrive files without giving out my password?

Instead of sharing your password, use the 'Share' feature in OneDrive to invite employees via their own email addresses or to generate secure links. This allows you to set specific editing or viewing permissions without compromising your primary account security.

Will changing my password automatically kick former employees out of my OneDrive?

Changing the password alone might not immediately terminate active sessions on devices that are already logged in. You must also use the 'Sign me out everywhere' feature in your Microsoft account security settings to forcefully revoke all active access tokens.

Microsoft Office Security Issues