How to Share a SharePoint File with Specific People
When sharing matters, specify who. The ‘Specific people’ link type is the safest, most controlled way to share — and it should be your default for anything sensitive.
What it is
There are several types of sharing link in Microsoft 365: ‘Anyone with the link’ (anyone, no sign-in needed), ‘People in your organisation’ (anyone in your tenant), ‘People with existing access’ (no new permissions granted), and ‘Specific people’ (only the named recipients). For most professional sharing, the right answer is ‘Specific people’.
The reason is simple: ‘Specific people’ links don’t work if forwarded. The recipient has to sign in with the email address you sent it to. If they forward the link to a colleague, the colleague gets locked out — exactly the behaviour you want for confidential information.
It’s a small extra step compared to ‘Anyone with the link’, but the protection is significant. It’s the difference between handing someone a marked envelope and posting a flyer on a public noticeboard.
When to use this
- Sharing anything sensitive — HR, financial, legal, strategic.
- Sharing externally with named collaborators.
- When you need an audit trail of who accessed what.
- Anytime you’d object to the file being forwarded.
How to do it
- Select the file and click Share.
- Open Link settings.
- Choose Specific people.
- Add each recipient by email address.
- Set the permission level (usually view).
- Add an expiry date if appropriate.
- Send the link.
Best practices
- Default to ‘Specific people’ for sensitive content. It’s the most controlled option.
- Add recipients individually rather than to a group. Group sharing makes sense for team work, not sensitive distribution.
- Combine with expiry and view-only. Layered controls > single controls.
- Re-share rather than forward. If a colleague needs the file too, share it with them properly — don’t forward the original link.
Common mistakes
- Defaulting to ‘Anyone with the link’ for convenience. Convenience now is risk later.
- Sharing with a wide email distribution list. Specific people means specific people — pick them deliberately.
- Forgetting that ‘Specific people’ links can’t be forwarded. If the recipient forwards it, you’ll get an access request from someone unexpected. That’s the system working correctly.
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How do I share a SharePoint file with specific people?
Click Share on the file. Open Link settings. Choose Specific people. Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with. Set permission (View or Edit) and add an expiry date. Send. The link only works for those email addresses — anyone else who gets the link is blocked from access.
What happens if someone forwards a ‘Specific people’ SharePoint link?
The forwarded recipient gets denied access. SharePoint checks the signed-in email against the allowed list and rejects everyone else. This is what makes ‘Specific people’ the safest sharing option — even if the link leaks, the data doesn’t. ‘Anyone with the link’ has no such protection.
Can I add more people to a ‘Specific people’ link later?
Yes — open Manage access on the file, find the link, and click Grant access. Add the new email addresses to the existing link. They can access immediately without you generating a new link. You can also remove people the same way.
Is ‘Specific people’ or ‘People in your organisation’ better in SharePoint?
Specific people when sharing externally, or when the file shouldn’t be available to everyone internal. People in your organisation when the file is internal-only and meant to be findable by colleagues. The two serve different purposes — never use ‘Anyone with the link’ for sensitive content under any circumstances.