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Share OneDrive files with anonymous links

Hi

I have not been able to find a solution to anonymously share files we store on our company's OneDrive with the rest of the world.

I find it very problematic that the generated links always contain a reference to the user who is sharing the file.

This is problematic as, if we know who we share the file with in first instance, we haven't got the slightest clue who the file might be shared with further on...

I would expect a similar behavior as on Dropbox where the file or folder's identifier is just a hash without any further reference to the user or his personal details. Quite amazed this isn't possible out of the box. Actually quite amazed this isn't the default behavior.

Any suggestions ? Solutions ?

Thanks

dGo

Hi, I'm sorry to hear that you're having difficulties.

Are you sharing OneDrive or SharePoint, in case of the latter, there should be no reference to the user account.

Please let me know I'm happy to try to solve your problem.

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Hi,
OneDrive is supported by SharePoint on the backup. OneDirve is a personal place to share information, but it is a personal Sharepoint site. It will create a root URL that include the associated account. You cannot avoid it. You can use Office 365 groups, or SharePoint sites.

I added a few references:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev...

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Hi dgoosens,

It's actually not feasible to share a OneDrive file or folder complete anonymous.

OneDrive is built for communication between Business partners or colleagues. So the link is not designed as anonymous in the first place. If you think it would be better if the link could be generated as anonymous, you are welcome to post this idea in OneDrive UserVoice. I just searched it for a while for the similar ideas, it seems it has not been posted before. We suggest you post there because that's the best way to tell the product team how to make our products better. 

Appreciate your understanding.

Best regards,
Alex

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Hi dgoosens,

It's actually not feasible to share a OneDrive file or folder complete anonymous.

OneDrive is built for communication between Business partners or colleagues. So the link is not designed as anonymous in the first place. If you think it would be better if the link could be generated as anonymous, you are welcome to post this idea in OneDrive UserVoice. I just searched it for a while for the similar ideas, it seems it has not been posted before. We suggest you post there because that's the best way to tell the product team how to make our products better. 

Appreciate your understanding.

Best regards,
Alex

Thanks Alex

I did as you suggested and created a feature request:

https://onedrive.uservoice.com/forums/913531-onedrive-sharing-collaboration/suggestions/35178205-share-onedrive-files-with-anonymous-links

Not sure this is a feature request though... From my point of view this is a bug.

I see no benefits of including the user's personal data in the link generated by OneDrive, even if it was built for communication with business partners and/or colleagues.

dgoosens

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Hi dgoosens,

Thanks for the sharing the feedback with us. 

I think you making a good point. It is true that when the link is generated, it could spread by any media. Let's see if there will be any feedback from UserVoice.

Meanwhile. I did some test from my side and I found if you share a file or folder in a SharePoint site. The link will be formatted like this:
https://<Company name>.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/<SharePoint Site Name>/XXXX?e=XXX
This way it will not show the user's account in the link. If it's acceptable, you may use it as a workaround for now. The premise is that the site might need external sharing permission.

Best Regards,
Alex

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Cheers

SharePoint would maybe be a technical workaround, but I doubt it's a good one...

I really have to take the user experience into account and I think everybody will agree sharing a file through OneDrive is just straightforward where SP adds a level of unneeded complexity.

When considering there are quite a lot alternatives that do fit our needs out of the box, I seriously doubt SP will make a chance.

I hope the post on UserVoice gets some feedback soon, otherwise I'll probably have to advice internally to opt for one of those alternatives.

dgoosens

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Last updated September 27, 2023 Views 10,271 Applies to: