Share a folder in Teams privately

Question

Share a folder in Teams privately

A Mac 0

Hi

I know I can share a folder but if they click back they can see all previous documents I only want external users with the link to see the specific folder I am sharing with no access to other documents.

Can this be done.

A Mac

0 comments

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hello @A Mac,

Yes, this can be done, but the folder should be shared through SharePoint or OneDrive using a Specific people link rather than by adding the external users as members of the entire team.

In Microsoft Teams, open the channel containing the folder.
Select the Files tab, and then select Open in SharePoint.
Locate the folder, select More options (...), and then select Share.
Open Link settings and choose Specific people or People you choose.
Enter the external users’ email addresses, choose Can view or Can edit, and then select Send or Copy link.

This gives the external users access to the shared folder without automatically granting access to the other documents in the library. They might still be able to select Back or see the site navigation, but they should not be able to open other folders or documents unless those items have also been shared with them.

Please note that if the external users are already members or guests of the entire team, they may already have access to the channel’s other files. In that situation, sharing only the folder will not remove their existing permissions. You would need to review their current access or use a separate SharePoint site, library, or shared channel for stronger separation. Files in standard Teams channels are stored in the team’s SharePoint site, while private channels have separate sites.

If Specific people or external sharing is unavailable, the organization’s SharePoint administrator may need to enable external sharing for the site.

Thank you again for your time and understanding. I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.        

Answer 2

Not fully in the way described.

In SharePoint and OneDrive, permissions are inherited by default. If a parent folder is shared, users who have access to that folder typically also have access to its files and subfolders. To restrict access to a specific subfolder, the supported approach is to break permission inheritance on that subfolder and assign unique permissions.

For a folder behind Teams files:

Open the folder in SharePoint from Teams.
Select the specific subfolder.
Open Manage access.
Go to Advanced settings.
Stop inheriting permissions from the parent folder.
Remove users or groups that should not have access.
Grant access only to the external users who should see that folder.

Important limits:

Users who lose permission to the restricted subfolder can still access the parent folder and any other content they are permitted to access.
SharePoint does not provide a permission level that completely hides other subfolders from view in the structure. Access to content can be restricted, but other folders may still appear.
If People in your organization is selected in sharing settings, sharing outside the organization will not work.
For external sharing by link, use Link settings and choose People you choose or Anyone. People you choose is the more controlled option because only the specified people can use the link.

If the goal is that external users only work with one folder and not browse broader team content, the safer design is to place that content in a separate location with unique permissions and share only that location.