Share files and folders and change permissions

You can use SkyDrive to share photos, Microsoft Office documents, and other files with people. To begin, follow these steps:

Go to SkyDrive.

You might need to sign in with your Microsoft account.
Go to the file or folder you want to share.
If the details pane on the right is collapsed, expand it.
Under Sharing, click Share or Share folder.

Show all

Send email

Choose this option if you want to give specific individuals and groups permission to a file or folder. This lets you remove permission for specific individuals and groups later if you need to. Another benefit of sharing a file and folder this way is that when the recipients view their SkyDrive, the file or folder will appear in the list of files shared with them.

On the Send email tab, add the email addresses, contact names, or a group you want to share with.
Add an optional message.
If you want recipients to be able to sign in with a Microsoft account and edit the file or folder, select Recipients can edit. The people who edit a file or folder will be displayed under Sharing in the details view of the file or folder.
If you want recipients to sign in with a Microsoft account before they can view the file or folder, select Require everyone who accesses this to sign in. This also helps prevent other people who could be forwarded the email from being able to access your file or folder.
Click Share to save the permission settings and send the email with the link.

Note

You can send a link to people without knowing their Microsoft accounts, even if they'll need to sign in to view or edit what you shared. You can use any email addresses you have for people when you send them the link. If you share a file or folder with people who don't have a Microsoft account, they can create one for free.

Post to

Choose this option to post a link on a social networking service that you've connected to your Microsoft account.

Click the Post to tab and select a service to post to, or add one by clicking Add services. Click Find more services and follow the instructions to add a service that doesn't appear in the list.
Add an optional message
If you want the people on your social network to be able to edit the file or folder you're sharing, select Recipients can edit.
Click Post. Your post will publish to the site you chose along with a message if you’ve included one, and a link to the file or folder.

Note

Anyone who views the link on your social network can forward it. If you selected Recipients can edit, people who receive the forwarded link will be able to view and edit your file or folder.

Get a link

Choose one of these options to share a file or folder with a large number of people you might not even know personally. For example, you can use these links on a blog or website. You can also use them to share in email or IM, but you won't have as much control over individual permissions.

Click the Get a link tab.
Choose the type of link you want. The permissions for your file or folder are automatically updated when you get the link.
View only
People with this link can only view your file or folder. Anyone who has this link can forward it, so people you might not intend to share your file or folder with could get access to it.
View and edit
People with this link can view your file or folder. They can also edit Office documents using Office Web Apps without needing a Microsoft account. Other edits, such as uploading to a folder, will require signing in with a Microsoft account. Anyone who has this link can forward it, and anyone who receives it will also be able to edit your file or folder.
Public
A public link is like a View only link, but it also allows anyone to find your file or folder by searching. If you choose this option, people will be able to access the file or folder even if you don't publish the link you get.
If you want to include the link in a message with a limited number of characters (such as a text message), or share the link in a printed document, click Shorten to make the URL shorter. This makes the link look nicer and easier for people to enter manually in the address bar.
Note
- Using a shortened link might make it easier for someone to guess the web address to your files.

To change permissions to a file or folder that's already shared

If a file or folder is already shared, you'll find a list of people and their permission settings in the details pane on the right, under Sharing.

To change the permission for a person or group, click the arrow next to the permission setting and select either Can view or Can edit. Your changes will be saved automatically.
To remove someone from the list of people with permissions to a file or folder, click Remove permissions. Your changes will be saved automatically.

Note

Please respect copyright and be careful what you share online. Copying or sharing unauthorized materials violates the Microsoft service agreement.
If your Microsoft account is set with Family Safety, and your parent has turned off contact management, you can only share files with people who are already on your contact list, and you can't create public folders.