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duncancollier's avatar
duncancollier
Copper Contributor
Oct 19, 2023

Allow Anonymous sharing for a subset of users

Our "External Sharing" setting in SharePoint is set to "New and Existing" guests - i.e. one notch down from "Most permissive". However, we have a subset of users who require being able to share with "Anyone". Is it possible to set a more permissive setting for a subset of users? Or if not, then how are others managing any similar requirement?

  • Hi duncancollier,

    Unfortunately, it is not possible to set a more permissive external sharing setting for a subset of users in SharePoint. The external sharing setting is applied to all users in the organization, regardless of their role or permissions.

    However, there are a few workarounds that you can use to allow a subset of users to share with "Anyone":

    • Create a separate SharePoint site for anonymous sharing. You can create a separate SharePoint site with a more permissive external sharing setting for the users who need to be able to share with "Anyone". This will allow you to keep your main SharePoint site more secure, while still giving the users who need it the ability to share with external users.

    • Use Azure B2B collaboration. Azure B2B collaboration allows you to collaborate with external users on SharePoint sites and files without having to add them as guests. This can be a good option for users who need to share sensitive information with external users.

      Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration overview - Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn


      Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
      This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.


      If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.


      Kindest regards,


      Leon Pavesic
      (LinkedIn)

  • LeonPavesic's avatar
    LeonPavesic
    Silver Contributor

    Hi duncancollier,

    Unfortunately, it is not possible to set a more permissive external sharing setting for a subset of users in SharePoint. The external sharing setting is applied to all users in the organization, regardless of their role or permissions.

    However, there are a few workarounds that you can use to allow a subset of users to share with "Anyone":

    • Create a separate SharePoint site for anonymous sharing. You can create a separate SharePoint site with a more permissive external sharing setting for the users who need to be able to share with "Anyone". This will allow you to keep your main SharePoint site more secure, while still giving the users who need it the ability to share with external users.

    • Use Azure B2B collaboration. Azure B2B collaboration allows you to collaborate with external users on SharePoint sites and files without having to add them as guests. This can be a good option for users who need to share sensitive information with external users.

      Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration overview - Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn


      Please click Mark as Best Response & Like if my post helped you to solve your issue.
      This will help others to find the correct solution easily. It also closes the item.


      If the post was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Like.


      Kindest regards,


      Leon Pavesic
      (LinkedIn)

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