How to Share a SharePoint Folder with a Team
Folder-level sharing makes onboarding new team members easy — but used carelessly, it creates permission spaghetti that’s almost impossible to clean up.
What it is
Sharing a folder grants access to everything inside it: existing files, future files, and subfolders. For active team work this is convenient — add someone to the folder and they immediately have access to the whole project — but it’s also where SharePoint permissions models often start to break down.
The cleanest approach is to share folders only inside team sites where the team’s permissions are already defined. Members of the team get folder access automatically; you only need to share specifically when granting external or cross-team access. This keeps the model simple and predictable.
When you do share a folder externally or across teams, treat it the same way as sharing a file: specific people, view-only by default, with expiry where possible. The fact that it’s a folder doesn’t change the principles — it just multiplies the impact of getting them wrong.
When to use this
- Onboarding a new team member who needs access to all the team’s files.
- Sharing a project folder with an external contractor.
- Granting cross-team access to a resource library.
- Migrating from email-attachment chaos to centralised collaboration.
How to do it
- Navigate to the folder in SharePoint or OneDrive.
- Select the folder (don’t open it) and click Share.
- Open Link settings.
- Choose Specific people for external access, or the team’s group for internal access.
- Set permission level — view by default.
- Add expiry if appropriate.
- Send the link.
Best practices
- Prefer team-level permissions over folder-level sharing inside team sites. Cleaner, simpler, easier to audit.
- Use group-based sharing when possible. Adding a person to a group is easier than re-sharing every folder.
- Default to view-only for folder sharing. Edit access on a whole folder is a lot of trust.
- Audit folder access quarterly. External folder shares should be the first to go when projects close.
Common mistakes
- Sharing a folder with ‘Anyone with the link’. The blast radius is huge — every file, every subfolder, all viewable.
- Granting edit on a folder externally. Now anyone with the link can add, change, or delete files. Don’t.
- Sharing one folder with three different links over time. Permission spaghetti. Use one canonical access method.
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Get the Sharing Handbook — $27 →FAQ
How do I share a SharePoint folder with multiple people?
Right-click the folder, click Share. Add the people or group, set permission (View or Edit), and send. Everyone in the share gets access to the folder and every file inside it. New files added to the folder inherit the same access — convenient but worth understanding before you do it.
Should I share a folder or share each file individually?
Share a folder when the group genuinely needs ongoing access to a collection of files (a project, a team workspace). Share files individually when access is targeted to one specific document. Folder sharing is faster but creates ‘forever’ access — every new file added inherits the sharing. Audit folder shares more carefully than file shares.
What happens if I add a file to a shared SharePoint folder?
The new file inherits the folder’s permissions automatically — everyone with folder access can see it. This is the most common cause of unintended sharing: someone drops a confidential file into a folder shared with a wide group, not realising the entire group now has access. Audit folder contents before sharing the folder.
Can I share a SharePoint folder with people outside my organisation?
Yes — same process as internal folder sharing, but use Specific people for external recipients and set an expiry date. External folder sharing carries higher risk than file sharing (more files in scope, more chance of unintended exposure). Review the folder contents carefully before sharing externally.