Feature Deep Dive: Simplified Sharing Across Microsoft 365
Published Jul 26 2023 09:05 AM 18.1K Views
Microsoft

Sharing and collaboration are at the heart of Microsoft 365, empowering you to work seamlessly with coworkers and partners on files and documents. Collaboration across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint and other applications maximizes your efficiency and productivity at work. We understand the importance of file sharing, and that's precisely why we've focused on refining and improving the experience based on the feedback you have given us. When you click the "Share" button, the Share Dialog box pops up. It's this experience, used over eight hundred million times each month across Microsoft 365 applications, that we set out to improve. Our goal was to make it easier for you to share and collaborate. Today, we're thrilled to announce that the Simplified Sharing experience is available across more than fifty Microsoft 365 applications on all platforms: Web, Desktop, and Mobile!

 

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The new Simplified Sharing in Microsoft 365 applications makes file sharing easier and faster than ever before!

 

Simple and fast sharing across Microsoft 365


As part of the Simplified Sharing experience, we’ve refreshed the Share dialog to be streamlined and free of distractions. Let’s take a look at these enhancements and the various ways you can share today:

 




Easily and quickly share a file with your coworkers by sending them an email or copying a link. 


Email a link
: When you want to email someone a link to a file, simply start typing a name, group or email and you’ll be given suggestions based on your most frequent collaborators. You also have the option to add a brief message. Once you hit "Send," OneDrive will craft an e-mail and send it to your chosen recipients!

 

Copy a link: If you want to send your file in a different application, such as Teams or Outlook, you can always copy a link to your clipboard. We’ve made it easier to create and copy a link with a single click and see a quick confirmation. Once copied you can paste it into a Microsoft Teams chat, document, or email to give others access to the file. If you want more granular control around how others can access your file, such as giving them edit, view, review permissions or if you want to block downloads, just click the gear icon for further customization.

 




It's now simple to share externally while respecting admin settings and external policies in Microsoft 365.


Share files externally
: You can also share links easily with people external to your organization. The new streamlined experience asks for your confirmation before creating an external share link while respecting admin settings and external policies, making it a lot easier and faster than the previous experience.

 

Granular control when sharing files


We are making it easier to view and control who has access to shared files or folders and what permissions they have.

Manage who has access to shared files and their respective permissions.

 

Manage Access: At the bottom of the Share dialog, you’ll see the people who have access to the shared file. Clicking on the people's profile pictures or initials will take you to the Manage Access dialog which shows a comprehensive list of people and groups who have access to the file or folder, along with their respective permissions. The Manage Access dialog also lets you grant additional access, stop sharing, or set controls for how recipients access the files and folders you’ve shared with them.

 

Links: Clicking on the “Links” tab will surface a view of all the sharing links that have been created for the file or folder and who has access via each link. From the links view you can fine-tune who has access and what permissions they have.

 

 

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Easily determine a file's sensitivity level in Microsoft 365 before sharing it.

Sharing sensitive files – We understand that some organizations want to handle sensitive information with an extra layer of protection. Sensitivity Labels in Microsoft 365 allow you to classify files based on their level of confidentiality, enabling better control over access and distribution. We've seamlessly integrated these labels into the Share dialog and Manage Access dialog. These labels, specific to each file, give you at-a-glance understanding of file sensitivity before sharing, helping to ensure security for your sensitive documents.

 

Learn more

 

When you’re ready to try the simplified sharing experience in Microsoft 365, just tap the Share button in the file you are working in to get started. And keep the feedback coming! To give us feedback just tap the feedback icon Ihcene_Cheriet_0-1690299741563.png in any Microsoft 365 app. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping a better experience tailored to your needs. Let’s elevate collaboration in Microsoft 365 together!


Learn more in the following support articles:
Sharing files, folders, and list items - Microsoft Support
Managing access in OneDrive for business - Microsoft Support

 

About the author

Ihcene Cheriet is a Senior Product Manager on the OneDrive team. She joined the team in 2020 where she focused on improving the sharing and collaboration experience across the M365 ecosystem. In her free time, she enjoys learning more about photography and exploring diverse cuisines.

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‎Jul 26 2023 10:31 AM
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