How to Share a SharePoint File with an Expiry Date
Time-bound access is the single most underused feature in Microsoft 365 sharing. Set an expiry, walk away, and the access cleans itself up.
What it is
Most sharing should be temporary. The contractor needs access for a six-week project. The client needs to review a proposal for two weeks. The auditor needs the file for a month. In every case, the right answer is to set an expiry date when you share — so the access ends automatically when the work does.
Expiry dates are part of Link settings in SharePoint and OneDrive. Set one when creating the link, and SharePoint will automatically disable access on that date. No reminders, no manual cleanup, no risk of access lingering beyond its purpose.
Some organisations restrict expiry dates to certain link types or external sharing only. If you don’t see the option, your tenant settings may need adjusting — but for most users, expiry is available and ready to use immediately.
The 30-day default rule
A useful rule of thumb: if you’re sharing externally and you can’t think of a specific date, default to 30 days. Most external work is done within a month, and if it isn’t, you can always extend the link before it expires. Better to extend a working link than to discover you forgot to revoke one years ago.
When to use this
- Sharing with external collaborators on a time-bound project.
- Distributing draft documents for review.
- Granting access to vendors, auditors, or one-off reviewers.
- Anytime you’d otherwise feel unsafe leaving the access open indefinitely.
How to do it
- Select the file and click Share.
- Open Link settings.
- Choose Specific people (recommended for sensitive sharing).
- Set the permission level — usually view-only.
- Find the Set expiration date option and choose a date.
- Apply the settings, add recipients, and send.
Best practices
- Set expiry on every external share. Even when you think you’ll need the access long-term — extend later if needed.
- Match the expiry to the project. Six-week project = six-week link. Two-week review = two-week link.
- Combine expiry with view-only and download disabled. Three layers of control instead of one.
- Calendar reminders for reviews are still useful. Check active expiries before they hit, in case extension is needed.
Common mistakes
- Not using expiry because ‘they might need it longer.’ Then extend it. Default-on expiry is much safer than default-on access.
- Setting absurdly long expiries. A two-year expiry isn’t really an expiry. Match it to the actual work.
- Forgetting to extend before it expires. Add a reminder a few days before — extension is one click.
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Get the Sharing Handbook — $27 →FAQ
How do I set an expiry date on a shared SharePoint link?
When sharing, click Link settings. Tick Set expiration date and pick a date. Send the link. The link works until that date, then stops automatically. The recipient doesn’t get a warning — the link simply fails on the next click. Set this on every external share to avoid forgotten 2024 links still active in 2026.
What’s a good default expiry date for SharePoint sharing?
30 days for most external sharing — long enough for the work to complete, short enough that forgotten links die quickly. Extend to 90 days for longer projects. Avoid expiries over 12 months (defeats the point). For internal team access, expiry usually isn’t needed — use group membership instead.
Can my SharePoint admin enforce expiry on all external sharing?
Yes — in the SharePoint admin center, under Sharing policies, you can set a maximum default expiry for external sharing across the whole tenant (e.g. 30 days). Users can’t override beyond that. This is one of the highest-impact governance settings — it eliminates the ‘forgotten link’ problem at scale.
Can I extend an expired SharePoint link?
Yes — open Manage Access for the file, find the expired link, and edit the expiration date. The link reactivates. You can also recreate the link if it’s easier. The recipient doesn’t get a notification when you extend — they’ll just find their next click works again.