Files shared with Anyone sometimes prompt users to request acccess to the file

Copper Contributor

My company is experiencing an intermittent problem where sometimes a OneDrive for Business file shared with the setting "Anyone with this link can edit" prompts the user the file is being shared with to request access. If the user tries to open the file a second time, they can then access the file without requesting access. We're wondering why that access request prompt sometimes happens and how to prevent it. It doesn't happen consistently, so we're having trouble reproducing and troubleshooting it. Has anyone seen this before and know how to fix it?

114 Replies

@Bill_Hawkins Thank you! I will download FF again and ask my team to do it as well.  It's annoying but as long as me and my team's work relies on MS Excel it's going to be difficult moving away from onedrive.

Really unfortunate issue this one - we are trying to take customers on a journey to the magical modern workplace (which I love by the way!). But unfortunately without adequate training (and sometimes even with!) the first things they do are disable Autosave in office apps (because they didn't know about or trust version history and spent a few hours recreating a file someone changed), now they'll want 'attaching a file to email' to do 'just that' again due to issues with sharing links (facepalm - doh!). Next, they'll want a mapped drive letter back in explorer, because the OneDrive they now use on their PC cannot be made available for the ERP application they want to export data from, because it's running as a published application in Azure Virtual Desktop (eeeerrrrg)... =)

@SimBur2365 

I can appreciate your obvious superior knowledge on the inner workings of Microsoft's complex relationships.  I also understand that there complex relationships are very likely required for security and functional operation.

However your missive doesn't help the less that expert user understand how they can resolve the situation, as there are no specific, detailed, and clearly defined steps listed to resolve the issue.
With all due respect, I realize your statement might resolve it for an experienced software engineer, familiar with the inner workings of the global Microsoft system, but for the vast number of users who do not have that skill set, what you have written does not offer a concrete, workable solution.  
As an aside, it appears you assume most individuals reading these are well versed on the system as you are. To be blunt, we aren't. Also to be blunt, documentation for solutions needs to be in layman's language as much as possible, and needs to be tested against an untrained individual.  I see this VERY OFTEN in these types of forums, in which a solution is offered, and the author is so familiar with the systems that they inadvertently leave out key steps, which to them are second nature, but to the inexperienced user are NOT a typical option they would invoke.  For instance, many times when a change is completed, the window needs to be "Saved". Many end users may not be familiar with the particular window, and may not complete the last step, negating al the previous work.  I have found a series of step by step screen shots, with arrows or highlights of the critical operations to be accomplished in each step are helpful. 
Again, with all due respect, I have little doubt that your paragraph does address the root cause and the solution. But without the kind of documentation I mention above, it does little to help the inexperienced user solve the problems, AND CREATES FURTHER FRUSTRATION ON THEIR END. Creating one more small negative public relations impression for Microsoft. 

Sorry Bill, definitely not wanting to cause frustration ! Based on the age of this thread, and that I arrived here investigating the same issue, my intention was to highlight that MS need to ensure these issues are top priority to resolve. If it's not easy for people to use the new technologies, it's totally understandable they would want to revert to what they know works.
Even if it worked well in their browser (I haven't been able to do any tests yet), it's in their best interests to make sure it works in the other main browsers as well, with Chrome and Safari making up for 85% of worldwide usage... I like the idea of Outlook automatically sending links instead of files, mainly because it reduces duplication of data, but it has to work like attachments do. People get attachments and open them, it just works... but we don't the same result with links. Anyway sorry you took me the wrong way there, glad there at least seems to be a workaround - but a shame to see this thread started in Jan 2019 and is still happening!
I have a 365 personal account, as does the club I am a member of which wants to share files with members. I usually use Chrome, so to avoid any previous activity having any bearing on this, I have done this test using Edge.

Steps:
1. Open Edge and clear all browsing data (time range: all time, all boxes ticked).
2. Go to folder link shared by club.
3. Enter password.
4. Folders opened correctly, top right shows no user signed in. All good so far.
5. Edge prompts to save password, clicked Never.
6. Close Edge.
7. Open Edge and go to shared link again. Straight in, no password prompt, and now it shows I am signed in with my personal (not the club's) 365 account. That seems like two security breaches: the first is allowing me back in without a password prompt, the second is signing me in using my personal account without prompting me to do so.
8. This step isn't reliably reproduceable, but sometimes when I am already signed in using my personal 365 account, I am prompted to sign in when accessing the URL provided from the club's 365 account.
9. Also not always reproduceable, but sometimes after step 4, if I refresh the page, it signs me in to my personal 365 account.

How is it possible that after 3 1/2 years of this and several other discussions on the same matter, not one of these issues has been fixed, or even commented on by Microsoft?

Just started experiencing this problem and found this thread. I've been testing links in a browser with with all cookies, history, data etc cleared (Firefox) and I always get prompted to login. Happens on "anyone with the link can edit" links for folders and documents in Sharepoint and OneDrive. Seems to be intermittent, not everyone has the problem all the time.

 

We just ditched a third-party sharing platform (Sharefile) in favor of Sharepoint so really hoping this gets fixed soon.  Opening a case with Microsoft and if any insights will post back here.

@NickCassidy 

I share your concerns.  If you check this thread, on October 20th a post was made and the solution I offered is not working for them.
I have concerns that MS is working to move totally over to subscription.  If you may remember the initial press releases for Win10 implied it would be moving to a subscription service, with some pundits in the IT industry saying they saw MS moving to total cloud computing environment.  This post is from June of 2022, but outlines what they see as the future.  https://depotcatalog.com/will-windows-11-be-subscription-based/
I hesitantly ordered my tablet with Win10.  I am seriously considering scrapping MS totally.  The changes to force Open Authentication (Which I see as a misnomer, as it's linked to AD) are causing me a host of problems with my Android.   I'm FORCED to use the MS android app, which is glitchy with my android contacts, which controls what my android reports as incoming texts and phone calls. 
Needless to say, I'm not happy with the change to basically kill Outlook 2013 and older.  While I've spent decades learning to make efficient use of Outlook, I see the writing on the wall, such that eventually MS wants a constant income stream, as opposed to offering a one time license fee for their products. I'll be looking for an alternative, one that hopefully runs on Win7. The problem I see is once MS and Google complete their move to subscription and cloud computing, the cost will climb to levels that make use of the systems nearly unfeasible.  Similar to the situation with cable. 

Bill

Same thing happens for me using consumer OneDrive and Office 365. I send a "Anyone with link" link to friends and sometimes they get prompted for user/pw. Using Incognito browser fixes. So I think it has to do with some previous login credentials to OneDrive or other Microsoft service existing in the user's browser.

@Bill_Hawkins wrote Sept 19, 2022:

What I also discovered is that IF the end user invokes the link using a browser which has NOT had the opportunity to save cookies or the critical date into cache, the problem does not happen. I personally have discovered if I clear cookies and cache data from my default browser, the problem does not appear.

 

For the reasons you give, using an Incognito/Private window to open the link also works around the problem. 

@tom_tulinsky We send newsletters to 2,000 people, most of whom wouldn't have a clue what an incognito window is, so that wouldn't work for us. 

Hi all,

Like the others, I have been seeing this issue as well as a few people not being able to access OneDrive documents either. I had my director open a ticket with Microsoft, and received the response below. My users are currently OOO, so was hoping to pass this along and see if it worked for anyone else.

 

Carry out the steps below for the users with the OneDrive issue:

  • From the Sharers OneDrive
  • Go to return to classic OneDrive from the bottom left corner of the OneDrive page
  • Click the settings gear icon > Site settings > People and Groups
  • Edit the URL such that "_layout/15/people.aspx?MembershipGroupid=0" is the last information on the URL address.
  • Locate the user who is unable to access the shared item
  • Check the box in form on the username
  • Click Actions and Select Delete Users from Site Collection
  • Proceed to reshare items from the OneDrive with the user

 

Carry out the steps below for the users with SharePoint issue.

 

  • Navigate to the SharePoint site >> site permissions >> advanced permissions settings
  • Edit the URL such that "_layout/15/people.aspx?MembershipGroupid=0" is the last information on the URL address. (Replace /_layouts/15/user.aspx with  /_layout/15/people.aspx?MembershipGroupid=0)
  • Locate the user who is unable to access the SharePoint site
  • Check the box in form on the username
  • Click Actions and Select Delete Users from Site Collection
  • Proceed to reshare the site again with the user

Let me know if anyone is able to try and what the outcome is.

I have consistently experienced this problem for many years, against both personal OneDrive and ODFB (Sharepoint) backends.  The "bad" recipient is always someone with a Microsoft identity (e.g. Hotmail or a work/school account).  Sometimes it's me -- literally unable to access a "share with anyone" link that created just moments ago, unless I fish out my phone and re-enter my 2FA.

 

Fully anonymous users don't seem to be affected.

 

Needless to say this is a terrible UX.  I run a tiny nonprofit (<5 users), so virtually everyone who receives a OneDrive link is a so-called "guest" in MS terminology.  Most of these collaborators, vendors, volunteers, etc have no connection to MS and thus do fine.  But those that do -- because it's required for their work, school, or Xbox -- get the worst experience of all, rather than benefiting from familiarity with the MS ecosystem.  It's particularly baffling for power users with decent tech skills and their own account @ my nonprofit, because they will (quite reasonably) try to type the password for my org -- the tenant from which the file is shared -- rather than the work/school account that their screen is actually prompting them for.

 

To put it bluntly for @Stephen Rice and his fellow PMs: requiring extraneous auth turns your potentially strongest users into the loudest voices for abandoning MS tools.  As everyone reminds me (tech & nontech alike), GDocs simply does not have this issue.

@nickf23 these steps don't work in my personal OneDrive.

  • "Return to classic OneDrive" isn't an option -- I see only "Premium OneDrive", "451GB used", and "Get the OneDrive apps".
  • If I theorize that maybe I'm already in Classic and proceed to the settings gear, I don't see "Site settings", nor do I see "People and Groups" on any subsequent page.  My gear options are "Options", "Upgrade", and "English (United States)".

In my nonprofit org, I am able to follow the Sharepoint steps.  However there are two problems:

  • You have a typo in the URLs.  Should be "_layouts" not "_layout".
  • Upon reaching this page, I do not see the troublesome user account.  For example, given my recent experience of being asked to (re-)authenticate via personal identity, I'd expect to see email address removed for privacy reasons listed as an erroneous guest account here.  But it's not there.  Nor do I see the work/school accounts of end users who've complained in the past. 

    I do see my nonprofit identity (email address removed for privacy reasons) in the list, but I'm obviously not going to delete that -- I'm the only site admin!
Given some effort, I'm pretty sure I could repro this under a debugger. (I'm a former MS SDE/T)

Before I waste more time, I'd like some confirmation that folks on the inside are still treating this very old issue as Sev1, and will communicate the right place to send trace logs where they'll actually be seen. (@lrc5333 did this work back in 2020, yet here we are...)

@NickCassidy 

We send newsletters to 2,000 people, most of whom wouldn't have a clue what an incognito window is, so that wouldn't work for us. 

 

I agree requiring a private window is not an acceptable solution, even for me sharing with 5 friends. I've started using Google Drive to share. Unbelievable MS has not fixed this problem for years. 

Things like newsletters etc. I use Azure Blob storage. Stupid cheap (penny's) and easy to publish for public/anonymous consumption links etc.
I've given up with this problem and password protected the files instead. Given that we were only using OneDrive because of its ability have passwords on folders, we will probably drop it altogether for something more robust, even though it is included with our 365 subscription.
bump, has anyone found a fix for this issue? anyone from microsoft care chime in?
And another, it's still an issue and I guess we'll all be dead and buried before they even accept we aren't just imagining it.
- Uploading a video to stream classic allows to select organization and sharing videos is more consistent
- However, Stream Classic is retiring so we need to know Stream (Sharepoint) which is very similar to onedrive and I experienced an issue sharing a link from Stream and onedrive where some users couldn't not access despite access to the organization was selected. Looking for a solution still. Thanks.