Forum Discussion
Restrict a SP library for uploaders
Want to create a SP library where people will be uploading documents from different departments.
Is there a way that i can lockdown a view where anybody coming in can only see their own uploads?
Maybe use the last modified column or create a person column?
I know I can do this with folders and mail groups, but trying to get away from that and also making it easier for my auditors to go through the documents easier without going through folder-ception.
Maybe I can work on restricting the public view?
The owner and small group does need the ability to see them all. ty
1 Reply
Permissions cannot be applied at the view level in SharePoint. Views are only filters; they don’t enforce security. If you want to restrict visibility by user, you can create a view with a condition such as Created By = [Me]. To make this effective, you must also ensure that users cannot create or edit views themselves, otherwise they could bypass the restriction and see everything. Auditors/owners can have private view to see everything.
If the requirement is that multiple people in the same department should see each other’s uploads, there is no out‑of‑the‑box option to achieve this with a single library.
A department‑wise folder structure can work within a single SharePoint library.
- Folder‑level permissions can be applied so that each department only sees and manages its own documents.
- Auditors or owners who need visibility across all departments can be granted read/write access at the library level, ensuring they bypass folder restrictions.
- For auditors, you can also create a flat view (without folders) so they can review all documents in one place, avoiding “folder‑ception.”
Alternative Solutions
- Separate library per department
- Assign permissions at the library level so each department can only see its own documents.
- Auditors/owners can be granted access across all libraries.
- Single library with item‑level permissions
- Use Power Automate (or custom code) to automatically set item‑level permissions when a document is uploaded.
- This ensures that only the uploader (or their department group) plus the owners/auditors can see the file.
If department wise folders or separate libraries meet your requirements, I would not recommend using item‑level permissions. Managing permissions at the item level quickly becomes a heavy administrative burden and can impact performance and scalability. Folder‑level or library‑level permissions are far easier to maintain, while still providing clear separation for departments and auditors.
