Simple, Smart, and Secure: The next step in sharing files in Microsoft 365
Today at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference, we announced the next generation of sharing for Microsoft 365. Not just an experience refresh, this year we are improving the underlying model that enables collaboration within oM365. We are making it simpler to use, more intelligent, and ensuring that users can keep their content secure by default. In 2011, the cloud revolutionized collaboration and SharePoint Online launched with direct permissioning to enable sharing. Three years later, the on-going cloud transformation led to the invention of “link-based sharing” to allow users to forward and share URLs that grant access within defined, yet secure scopes. Over the last decade, collaboration flourished with over 1.2 Billon people using the share dialog in M365 per month. But as we look ahead, we see new demands emerging to meet the needs of collaborative, agentic workplaces. We are excited to give you a walkthrough of the third generation of sharing in Microsoft 365 and introduce the hero link, the power behind the next decade of collaboration. Meet the hero link The next generation of sharing makes you the hero of collaboration! Each file gets a single hero link which controls all access to the file. Whether you’re clicking “Copy Link”, sending an e-mail, or yes, even copying the URL out of the address bar, it’s all the hero link! This removes the need to create, delete, and manage multiple links on your files, creating a vastly simpler experience. Sharing files with your company has never been easier: simply update the hero link and anyone with the link in your company will get access. Need to lock down a file? Change the link to only allow access for people you directly add, keeping your files secured. We know that users don’t always check file permissions before they send out a link, which can lead to frustrating “Access Denied” page. With hero links, users are empowered to update the link that they already sent, enabling them to quickly increase or decrease the scope of the hero link to match their needs. Secure by default Every hero link starts by working for only the people who have already been added to the document. As users embark on their collaboration journey, they can add more people and teams directly to the document or update the hero link as needed to broaden access. For files that are shared externally, the new share experience explicitly tags external users and guests to make sure they stand out and can be managed appropriately. Administrators will be able to change this default on a per-site collection or OneDrive basis, as needed. With the next generation of sharing, users can further secure their content by controlling who can add people or update access of the file or folder, which gives users the granular control they need to protect their most important content. At a glance access The next generation of sharing requires easy understanding of not only who has access to a file, but how they have access. The Share Dialog and Manage Access experiences are now unified into a single, powerful interface, ensuring users can see and manage their documents and folders with effortless precision. Updates to permissions now appear in real-time, giving users confidence and real-time feedback as they share! With this new sharing model, you can now update permissions in bulk. It is now easier than ever to change or remove permissions for multiple people in a single session. Changes appear instantly, helping you stay in control! If a user wants additional granularity, they can even create additional sharing links to be used for specific purposes. These links can even be named, to help users track and assign them to specific tasks. Copilot + Sharing Save time for your coworkers and keep your team up to speed by using Copilot when you share. With a single click, generate a summary of your document that will be included in the notification mail. Recipients can now understand what the file is about, without needing to open it and read the content. This is a great way to save time and help get your collaborators up to speed! Choose when you notify Have you ever had those days where your notifications are going crazy from teammates adding you to files? We hear your frustration-and we are happy to tell you that you can now choose whether to send an e-mail notification or not when you add people to your file. This update puts you in control of how you share and notify teammates – simply check the box or not based on your preference! This control is critical when you’re bringing a colleague up to speed on multiple documents, or just want to make sure that your file is shared correctly before incorporating into a SharePoint News Post or Amplify! Looking Ahead This new sharing experience and model will be rolling in late 2025! You can track the latest timelines and updates via the Microsoft 365 Message Center or the Microsoft 365 Roadmap (ID: 492622). We know change management is top of mind with any product change, and especially one’s as critical to your organization as collaboration.In addition to the standard updates at Microsoft Docs, we’ll also be uploading how to videos for end users and IT Pros to the Microsoft Community Learning YouTube Channel, walking through the changes in depth on the Sync Up Podcast and in the OneDrive Customer Office Hours. We’re excited to share the future with you! Frequently Asked Questions We know how important collaboration is to your organization! Here are answers to a few of the common questions we’ve heard! If you have others, let us know in the comments below! Q - What do I need to do to prepare for this change? A – For now, keep an eye on the roadmap id and Message Center for more information! As we get closer to release, we’ll ensure you have the content you need to update and prepare your users, admins and security teams. Q - What happens to my existing collaboration experience? A – Nothing! The new sharing model is fully backwards compatible. All the links and permissions you have today will continue to work and will show up in the “Other Links” section of the dialog! Q - Where will this change happen? A - Everywhere! OneDrive powers the sharing experience across 64 apps in M365. This change will be updated consistently across the entire ecosystem.
OneDrive Stops Running
I have a Windows 11 on a laptop and have been using Onedrive for a long time. This problem happens when the PC is started. Suddenly the program stops after showing up in the taskbar. It goes through signing in and then quits running. For a while a window kept popping up suggesting an update to PowerDrive. That's when Onedrive stops. I uninstalled the PowerDrive program, but Onedrive stills stops. When following the suggestions on the Microsoft page for resetting Onedrive the message that it cannot find Onedrive shows up. Yet Onedrive presumably has been installed in the correct location. I have uninstalled and re-installed Onedrive. Also, re-installed Windows, and the Microsoft 365 family. Each time Onedrive shows up and then stops running. I can start Onedrive, the folder opens, the icons shows up. But a few seconds later the icon is gone. Ideas?NOW ON DEMAND| OneDrive Office Hours | September 2025
Join the OneDrive product team live each month on our monthly OneDrive Customer Office Hours to hear what's top of mind, get insights into roadmap updates, and dig into a special topic. Each call includes live Q&A where you'll have a chance to ask the OneDrive product team any question about OneDrive - The home of your files.
Unable to access Onedrive through manager
Attempt to login to one drive through manager and stuck on this before a screen white out. from dev tools Walked through this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/reset-onedrive-34701e00-bf7b-42db-b960-84905399050c and it did not help. Stuck doing the same loading error out in manager. Also attempted to reset onedrive directory. Same issue. When attempting to open or move files in the onedrive directory I get: Error 0x8007016A: The cloud file provider is not running Unsure if stuck in sync or what. This is day two of this occurring even after comp reset. Never ran into this issue before. Unable to find any indication of Microsoft onedrive being down either so this error is a bit confusing to me. Thanks for the help in advance!
Urgent: OneDrive Storage Discrepancy – Backend Audit Request
I’m the global admin and sole owner of the Microsoft 365 tenant for mailto:email address removed for privacy reasons. My OneDrive usage has jumped from 276 GB to nearly 1 TB in under 30 days, yet my visible files total only ~66.5 GB on my PC and in my web OneDrive. I’ve: Emptied the recycle bin Deleted version history Verified no shared libraries or backups Confirmed that local and cloud file views match Despite this, the Admin Center shows 0.9 TB used, and I’m unable to open a service request. The Support Assistant bot is the only option available, and it does not escalate to a live agent. I need a backend audit to identify any hidden, orphaned, or misreported data inflating my quota. Please escalate this to a support engineer who can investigate the issue.
Sharing Folders Issue
Hi I have been trying to get my head around things, and had a bit of help but now I am stuck. I'm involved with a charity and we use the cloud to share essential information with volunteers. Our previous system, which closed down, allowed us to share files / folders without people having an account. However when I tried to share a folder with one of my test email addresses, it wants me to create a microsoft account, with authenticator. Now while I fully understand the implications of security, the share is literally one folder which they can't edit anyway. Is there any way around this? It's going to cause grief and I believe will put people off. I just want to be able to share a folder that people can access via the link. Thank you for your help.Local Onedrive files won't open when away from Wifi
Why can't I open a Onedrive file that is saved to my Surface harddrive when I am away from WiFi. I literally opened the file up while I was with WiFi, so when I travelled to the non-WiFi location, the file would be available, or updated, or not be corrupted, or not do whatever crazy thing it does when it can't connect. Sadly I forgot to plug it in so it had to restart and did an update. When I tried to re-open the file that is literally on my harddrive, it said "Excel cannot open the file because the file format or the file extension is not valid". This is ridiculous, and not the only time it has happened. Even if my Onedrive sync is up to date, at times when I am away from WiFi, when trying to open a file I get the same report. To be safe, I have made a practice to open the files I need to ensure that they will be available when I am away from WiFi. If the files are on my computer drive, why can't I open them?? Please give a better solution then me hoping it is going to work every time I go out.OneDrive for Android: Camera Backup keeps uploading screenshots
Hi all, Every so often when I check OneDrive, I see my Android phone has uploaded screenshots as well as camera photos. In the Android app, when I check the Camera Backup setting, the "Back up device folders" has the setting "Camera, Screenshots" However, when I click that value, and go into the "Organise new backups in subfolders" list, the Screenshots folder is _not_ actually selected as one to be uploaded. If I turn the folder on, then off, OneDrive will temporarily not upload images from my Screenshot folder. But eventually, it decide that again it should do this. How do I make this behaviour stop permanently? P.Windows OneDrive folder and file properties
Hello I use Windows 10. All the files in the OneDrive folder has the green checkmark. 1. Are the files with the green checkmark both in a local OneDrive folder and in the OneDrive online cloud? 2. If I "Unlink this PC" - what happens to all the files with the green checkmark? They are kept in the OneDrive online cloud? They are deleted from the local OneDrive folder? 3. If I download a file from OneDrive online browser then the files "Modified" date is being updated - bad. If I copy a file from the OneDrive folder in Windows to another local folder, then the "Modified" date is unchaged - good. I have only tried this on the same computer. But what if there is 2 computers: Computer 1 copy file A to the Windows OneDrive folder. Computer 2 (another computer) copies file A from Windows OneDrive folder to another local folder - is the "Modified" date unchanged or updated? I know the "Created" and "Accessed" dates are being updated / new when copying file A. Thank you
