Download and Access Issues for External Users with SharePoint “Anyone” link sharing option.
Hi All, We are looking for help resolving a recurring issue with file sharing in SharePoint. All files and folders we share with external customers use the “Anyone” sharing link option (Anyone with the link can access). Despite this, we regularly face these problems: Customers can view files but cannot always download them from the browser (for example, using the "Create a Copy”, “Download a Copy" or "Save as" option in the PowerPoint files). Sometimes, sharing the parent folder (containing the file) link allows the external user to download, even though the file link itself does not. The problem is intermittent and not linked to settings or policies—sometimes everything works, sometimes it does not, even when we generate new links. No restrictive site, library, or organizational policies are applied; “Block download” is not set and full link access is confirmed. Using a private/incognito tab sometimes enables the link to work when it otherwise fails in a normal browser session, but not always. We want to understand why this happens and whether there is an underlying issue, known bug, or additional configuration we should review that could make “Anyone” links unpredictable for downloads with external users. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? If so, how did you resolve it, or are you still searching for answers? We’d really appreciate hearing your experiences and suggestions! Thank you for your advice and support!Top 5 reasons to attend ESPC25
We are so excited! Don’t miss out on ESPC25, Europe’s premier Microsoft 365 and AI community conference, in Dublin, Ireland. You’ll learn about Microsoft’s product roadmap, gain skills that will help you lead in the era of AI, build connections with a global community of Microsoft experts and enthusiasts—and have fun doing it! Join us for 120+ sessions and plenty of in-person learning and networking opportunities in a city known for its history, culture, and innovation. ESPC25 | Dublin, Ireland | December 1–4, 2025 | aka.ms/ESPC2025 Want the low-down on what you can look forward to? Here are five reasons you’ll want to attend: Learn about AI and the future of work. Dive into the latest advancements in AI, get updates on new features across Microsoft 365 Copilot, and explore how agents can help you scale your team like never before. Connect with Microsoft experts and product makers. There’s nothing like learning directly from the people who build the tools you use every day—especially in today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape. With new advancements rolling out at lightning speed, this is your chance to stay ahead of the curve. Discover how Microsoft 365 Copilot can supercharge your workflow. Microsoft 365 Copilot has been a game-changer for professionals across all functions and lines of business. Whether you’re new to Copilot or a seasoned user, you’ll walk away knowing how to make it work even harder for you. Gain tangible skills you can use immediately. From hands-on demos to technical sessions across Microsoft 365 and Microsoft 365 Copilot, you’ll gain practical insights and solutions that can make an immediate impact on your work—no matter your role or function. Network with a global community of professionals. It’s not just about the tech—it’s about the people who use it. ESPC brings together professionals from all over the world who are eager to share experiences, ideas, and best practices. Connect with peers, make lasting professional relationships, and learn from others in your field. Learn more about ESPC25 What: ESPC25 community event with 120+ sessions When: December 1–4, 2025 Where: Dublin, Ireland, The Convention Centre Dublin Cost: €1795 + VAT: Four days (includes full-day tutorial on December 1 and three conference days, December 2–4) €1650 + VAT: Three days (sessions only) €1295 + VAT: Two days (sessions only) Please use this Microsoft Community discount code: ESPC25COMM (€200 off) Registration page: aka.ms/espcregisternow For those interested in being considered for our Executive Experience Track please be sure to check the box when registering. (limited capacity). Our full event guide will land the first week of November. Can't wait to say hello in Ireland! Heather Cook
CSOM: My “one query to rule them all” plan backfired — got “Request uses too many resources” 😅
Hey folks, So I’ve been playing around with CSOM (Client-Side Object Model), feeling fancy about making one super-efficient query that loads everything I need at once. Something like this: clientContext.Load( clientContext.Web, w => w.SiteUsers.Include(...), w => w.Lists.Include(...), w => w.SiteGroups.Include(...) ); Basically, my thought was: “Why make multiple calls when I can just get everything in one go?” But CSOM had other plans. Instead of being impressed, it hit me with the dreaded: "Request uses too many resources." Even when I tried to be nice and limit the properties, it still said “Nope.” 🙃 So now I’m wondering: Is it actually more efficient (and safer) to create a new ClientContext for each object I want to query (like Web, SiteUsers, Lists, etc.)? Or am I just thinking about this the wrong way and missing some batching trick? Would love to hear how others handle this — or if there’s a secret sauce to making CSOM not freak out when you ask for too much.
SharePoint Missing Authentication for _vti_bin
The issue with the vti_bin folder is that it is accessible without authentication. However, the remediation measures outlined below are not technically feasible for SharePoint Online (O365). I found few remediations for this issue which are as follows: Configuration Options: Administrators can configure authentication for _vti_bin through various methods, such as: Enabling anonymous access:This allows anyone to access the site and its resources, including _vti_bin URLs, without logging in. Restricting access in Web.config:The Web.config file can be modified to deny access to anonymous users for specific _vti_bin paths. Using the ViewFormPagesLockDown feature:This feature can help restrict access to certain SharePoint resources, including those within _vti_bin The below links are for reference: https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/uploadfile/Roji.Joy/how-to-secure-external-anonymous-access-to-sharepoint-2010-sites/#:~:text=Even%20when%20lockdown%20mode%20is, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/fabdulwahab/security-protecting-sharepoint-server-applications https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/167264/restricting-access-to-contents-in-vti-bin-for-both-authenticated-as-well-as-a I would like to verify whether the provided fixes are applicable to O365 SharePoint. If they are not, could you please advise on alternative solutions that can be implemented to mitigate this issue?Stock images -- insert or change not working
We are a GCC cloud client. Starting Tuesday, we are no longer able to add images or change images while accessing from the Stock Images option. When we click stock images, the app sits and spins and then throws an error "Your search didn't match any content. Please try another term". Does matter what the term is, it doesn't resolve. Prior to this, when clicking stock images, the window would open with images where we could then filter, etc. Now nothing will show not matter what. I am a SharePoint admin, we have also tried with Site owners and on different browsers with cache cleared. We did submit a ticket with MS, but response has been slow. Anyone else experiencing this?
Best practices to work on files between Teams
Hi, I am working on the migration of my on-premises data to SharePoint online. My teams are set up, each team corresponds to a M365 group: HR, Accounting, Management, Employment Service, etc. Each employee will be part of one or more teams. Each team has a document library, and only team members will have access to the document library. The question is as follows: what is the best practice for working on files betwwen Teams? Example: the HR team has a folder in its document library named Recruitment. The assistant managers are not part of the HR team but need access to a subfolder of this Recruitment folder. I see 3 options: i break the inheritance in the document library and set specific rights for the assistant managers. I share the subfolder using a direct link, SharePoint sharing function. I create a second document library for the human resources team where all the files that will be shared with the other teams will be located For options 1 and 2, the "business logic" for the HR team is respected, meaning that all files in the Recruitment folder are located in the same place. However, I have no visibility on shared folders. At a minimum, we can play with folder colors to quickly identify shared folders, but at the scale of the organization, this seems risky to me. For option 3, the visibility of shared folders with the other Teams is quick and easy, but the files in the Recruitment folder are then found in 2 document libraries, which is not intuitive for the HR team. Could you please tell me what the good practices are? Are there any other options?SharePoint Online List: Filtered List View Not Refreshing After Change
Before recently, any time a change was made to a list row column that a view filter was based on, the items in view would automatically refresh to show the changes. Now the list view doesn't update unless the user refreshes the page in their browser. This is a consistent issue across all lists in the tenant. Our organization has SharePoint lists with a 'Status' column that impacts what items are shown in a view and its hurting productivity when these views aren't updating with new items unless the page is manually refreshed. Is there a new setting that is impacting the ability for filtered views to auto-refresh?Library View of Files Stored in Folders
I have a document library containing several folders, one of which is Job Descriptions. In the Job Descriptions folder, we have a list of all company job descriptions. The job description documents are PDF'd and the naming convention used for the job description is all lower case separated by dashes. We also have a column called DisplayName which shows the file in a more friendly name. For example: executive-assistant-to-the-director.pdf would be the name of the file, but the Display name is Executive Assistant to the Director.pdf. We would like to add a document library webpart to a SharePoint page, have it filter the document library, selecting the Job Description folder. What would be displayed to the page visitors is a list of all the folders and when they select a folder they would see the Display Name, in which they can click and open the PDF. I must be missing something in my View of the document library as if I show the Display Name and not show the Name of the file, then the folder name is reviewed too. Any ideas?AI- based Post Sorting
I have developed a Post and Comment module inside SPFx. where i have 3 sharepoint list:- Posts Comments Reaction here is the SPFX, with 2 posts and the first post has 2 comments:- Currently the Posts and their Comments will be shown sorted by the created date , here is the method to show the posts:- async getPostsPage(pageSize: number = 10, afterId?: number) { let url = `${this.siteUrl}/_api/web/lists/getByTitle('SocialPosts')/items` + `?$select=Id,Title,Body,Created,Author/Id,Author/Title,LikeCount,CommentCount` + `&$expand=Author&$orderby=Id desc&$top=${pageSize}`; if (afterId) url += `&$filter=Id lt ${afterId}`; const data = await this.getJson<{ value: any[] }>(url); return data.value.map(v => ({ Id: v.Id, Title: v.Title, Body: v.Body, Created: v.Created, AuthorId: v.Author?.Id, AuthorTitle: v.Author?.Title, LikeCount: v.LikeCount || 0, CommentCount: v.CommentCount || 0 })) as import('../Models/Models').Post[]; } and the comments:- // ---------- Comments ---------- async getComments(postId: number): Promise<Comment[]> { const url = this.commentsUrl() + `?$select=Id,Body,Created,Author/Id,Author/Title,LikeCount,Post/Id,PostId` + `&$expand=Author,Post&$filter=PostId eq ${postId}&$orderby=Created asc`; const data = await this.getJson<{ value: any[] }>(url); return data.value.map((v) => ({ Id: v.Id, Body: v.Body, Created: v.Created, AuthorId: v.Author?.Id, AuthorTitle: v.Author?.Title, LikeCount: v.LikeCount || 0, PostId: v.PostId ?? v.Post?.Id, })); } but the client is asking us if there is a way to order the items using AI algorithm so it show the most relevant posts and comments first? which approach i can follow? to allow order items inside SPFx using AI algorithm instead of Created date?? any advice?
