Open shared Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on iPhone and iPad devices without a Microsoft account

Hi, Microsoft 365 Insiders! My name is Juan Karmy and I’m a Product Manager on the Office team. I’m excited to announce that we are extending Anonymous file sharing to iPhone and iPad. Now, collaborators you've shared files with using your personal Microsoft account are able to open them on their iPhone and iPad devices, even if they don’t have a Microsoft account.

Note: Files shared using an Enterprise account will still require recipients to sign in.

Others can now open files you share with on iPhone and iPad devices without being signed into a Microsoft account

When sharing files with others using your personal Microsoft account, recipients have been able to open them in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the web even if they don’t have a Microsoft account - we're now extending this capability to our mobile apps. Recipients are now able to open and view the contents of shared files in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on iPhone and iPad devices without signing in. To make edits or leave comments, they will still need to sign in with a Microsoft account.

This means that you can now confidently share documents, worksheets, and presentations, from your personal Microsoft account, and make them available for review with others while giving recipients an effortless way to open and view the content on their mobile devices.

How it works

1. Make sure you are signed into your personal Microsoft account.
2. Open a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file that you want to share.
3. Select Share > Link settings (the gear icon in the top-right corner), ensure that either the Anyone with the link can edit or Anyone with the link can view option is selected, and then select the Apply button. 
4. To share the link with others, type their email address in the Share dialog box, and then click the Send button, or click the Copy link button and paste it in a message created using an app such as Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Teams.

NOTE: Choosing the Anyone with the link can view setting will allow users to view the content of the file but not edit, even if they are signed in.

When recipients open the link you shared with them, they'll be able to open and view the file even if they're not signed into the app.

Animation shows how a collaborator opened a shared file from a link in the Notes™️ app in Word on iPhone, while being signed out of any Microsoft accounts.

Availability

• File recipients, running Version 2.94 (Build 25020422) or later, will be able to open files anonymously using Word, Excel or PowerPoint on their iPhone and iPad devices.
• Note for our users in China: The use of our iPhone and iPad apps is subject to the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, including opening files anonymously. For more information, please visit: https://personalinformationprotectionlaw.com/

Feedback

We’d love to hear from you! Please send us your feedback by selecting Settings > Send Feedback in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for iPhone or iPad, and use #AnonAccess in your comments so we can quickly identify feedback about this feature.

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Notes™️, iPhone™️ and iPad™️ are trademarks of Apple Inc.