Tutorial / Cram Notes
SharePoint’s external sharing settings control how users can share content outside your organization. These settings are found in the SharePoint admin center and can be configured for the entire organization or per individual site.
Organization-Level External Sharing Settings
At the organization level, administrators can define the baseline sharing settings which apply to all SharePoint sites. To access these settings:
- Go to the SharePoint admin center.
- Navigate to the “Policies” section.
- Click on “Sharing.”
The available external sharing options are:
- Only people in your organization – Disables external sharing.
- New and existing guests – Allows sharing with guests who have already been invited or new guests.
- Existing guests only – Limits sharing to guests who have previously been invited.
- Anyone – Enables sharing with anyone via shareable links.
Site-Level External Sharing Settings
To maximize control, SharePoint allows you to tailor external sharing settings for individual sites:
- In the SharePoint admin center, go to “Sites” followed by “Active sites.”
- Select the site you want to manage.
- Click on “Sharing” on the policy toolbar.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Private | Sharing is allowed only among site members. |
| New and existing guests | Site owners can invite new guests and share with existing ones. |
| Existing guests only | Only current guest members can be shared with. |
| Anyone | Anyone with the link can access shared content. |
Managing Sharing Links
Sharing links can be configured to provide different levels of access:
- Anyone links (anonymous access)
- Organization links (anyone within your organization)
- Specific people links (only specific individuals)
Security Measures for External Sharing
To ensure security when sharing externally, consider the following measures:
- Expiration Dates: Set expiration dates for shared links.
- Permissions: Choose whether shared links allow viewing or editing.
- Limit Sharing by Domain: Restrict sharing to certain domains.
- Guest Must Sign In: Require guests to sign in with a Microsoft account or verified email account.
Monitoring and Auditing
To keep track of external sharing and ensure compliance:
- Audit Log Reports: Use SharePoint’s audit log reports in the security and compliance center to monitor and audit file access.
- Sharing Alerts: Set up alerts for when files are shared externally.
By managing external file sharing settings effectively, administrators can facilitate secure collaboration on SharePoint sites while maintaining control over organizational data. It is important to regularly review and adjust these settings as collaboration needs evolve and to stay current with best practices for security and compliance.
For the MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams exam, understanding SharePoint integration and managing external sharing settings is crucial since Teams relies on SharePoint for file storage and collaboration. Knowledge of setting the correct permissions and security measures while sharing files across Microsoft Teams and SharePoint is directly pertinent to the exam objectives.
Practice Test with Explanation
True or False: External file sharing in SharePoint for Microsoft Teams can be disabled for an individual site collection through the SharePoint admin center.
- Answer: True
SharePoint administration allows granular control over external sharing, including the ability to enable or disable sharing for individual site collections.
External file sharing in SharePoint is turned on by default for:
- A) All site collections
- B) Only the root site collection
- C) None of the site collections
- D) New site collections only
Answer: A) All site collections
By default, SharePoint is configured to allow external sharing for all site collections, though this can be adjusted by an administrator.
The default external sharing setting for SharePoint sites in Microsoft Teams is:
- A) New and existing external users must be assigned a license
- B) Anyone with the link can access shared files
- C) New and existing external users must be authenticated
- D) External sharing is turned off by default
Answer: C) New and existing external users must be authenticated
By default, SharePoint sites require authentication for external users to access shared content, either by creating a Microsoft account or by using an existing one.
True or False: When sharing a file in a Microsoft Teams channel, the external sharing settings of that file are governed by the settings of the underlying SharePoint site.
- Answer: True
Files shared within Microsoft Teams channels are stored in SharePoint, so external sharing is subject to the SharePoint site’s sharing settings.
To allow sharing of SharePoint files with external users who have a guest link, an admin must:
- A) Do nothing, as this is allowed by default
- B) Enable anonymous sharing
- C) Disable external sharing
- D) Purchase additional licenses for guest users
Answer: B) Enable anonymous sharing
For users to share with external parties without requiring a guest account, an admin must enable anonymous sharing, which allows access via a link without signing in.
True or False: When an external user is invited to access SharePoint content, they become a member of your Azure Active Directory.
- Answer: False
External users who are invited to access SharePoint content do not become members of your Azure AD, but they are added as guest users with limited privileges.
Which SharePoint external sharing option requires external users to sign in with a Microsoft account or a work/school account from other organizations?
- A) Anonymous access
- B) New guests must have a Microsoft account
- C) Existing guests only
- D) Direct link sharing
Answer: B) New guests must have a Microsoft account
This option requires new external guests to use a Microsoft account or an account from another organization (work/school) to sign in for authentication before accessing shared content.
True or False: Global administrators and SharePoint administrators are the only roles that can change external sharing settings for SharePoint sites in Microsoft Teams.
- Answer: True
Global administrators and SharePoint administrators have the necessary permissions to change external sharing settings for SharePoint sites linked to Microsoft Teams.
Which of the following is NOT a level of external sharing available in SharePoint Online?
- A) Anyone (anonymous access)
- B) New and existing external users
- C) Specific external users only
- D) All authenticated external users
Answer: D) All authenticated external users
SharePoint external sharing settings do not have a specific option labeled “All authenticated external users,” instead, options like “New and existing external users” and “Specific external users only” are available.
True or False: To share content with external users, both the SharePoint site sharing settings and the individual user’s permissions on the content must allow sharing.
- Answer: True
For external sharing to work, it must be enabled at both the site-level settings and the specific content must be shared by a user with the necessary permissions to do so.
When a SharePoint site’s external sharing is set to ‘Existing external users only,’ what does it imply?
- A) Only users with a previous guest invitation can access shared content
- B) Anyone with the link can access shared content
- C) Only internal users can access shared content
- D) Anyone with a Microsoft account can become a guest user
Answer: A) Only users with a previous guest invitation can access shared content
This setting restricts access to the site’s content to external users who have already been invited to any site within your organization.
True or False: Enabling external sharing for SharePoint sites also allows external users to automatically access content shared through Microsoft Teams.
- Answer: True
Since Microsoft Teams uses SharePoint for file storage, enabling external sharing for SharePoint sites will allow access to content within Teams for external users, provided that the appropriate access permissions are granted.
Interview Questions
What is external sharing in SharePoint?
External sharing in SharePoint refers to the ability to share content and collaborate with people outside of your organization.
How can you turn external sharing on or off for a SharePoint site?
You can turn external sharing on or off for a SharePoint site by going to the site settings and selecting the “Site permissions” option. From there, you can select the “Access requests and invitations” option to manage external sharing settings.
What are the options for external sharing settings in SharePoint?
The options for external sharing settings in SharePoint include
No external sharing Only people within your organization can access the site.
Existing guests Only guests who have already been invited can access the site.
New and existing guests Anyone with a sharing link can access the site.
Anyone Anyone with a sharing link can access the site, including anonymous users.
How can you restrict external sharing for specific SharePoint sites?
You can restrict external sharing for specific SharePoint sites by going to the site settings and selecting the “Site permissions” option. From there, you can select the “Access requests and invitations” option and specify which users or groups are allowed to share the site externally.
How can you track external sharing activity in SharePoint?
You can track external sharing activity in SharePoint by going to the site settings and selecting the “Site usage” option. From there, you can view reports that show who has accessed the site and what they have done.
What is the difference between anonymous sharing and guest sharing in SharePoint?
Anonymous sharing allows anyone with a sharing link to access the site, even if they don’t have a Microsoft account. Guest sharing requires the user to have a Microsoft account and be added as a guest to your organization before they can access the site.
Can you set expiration dates for external sharing links in SharePoint?
Yes, you can set expiration dates for external sharing links in SharePoint to limit how long they are active.
How can you enforce conditional access policies for external sharing in SharePoint?
You can enforce conditional access policies for external sharing in SharePoint by setting up policies in Azure Active Directory and configuring SharePoint to use those policies.
How can you manage external sharing for OneDrive files and folders?
You can manage external sharing for OneDrive files and folders by going to the OneDrive settings and selecting the “Sharing” option. From there, you can specify who is allowed to share your files and folders externally.
What is the difference between view-only sharing and editing sharing in SharePoint?
View-only sharing allows the recipient to view the content but not make any changes, while editing sharing allows the recipient to view and edit the content.
How can you configure external sharing settings for specific SharePoint lists or libraries?
You can configure external sharing settings for specific SharePoint lists or libraries by going to the list or library settings and selecting the “Permissions for this list” or “Permissions for this library” option. From there, you can specify who is allowed to access the list or library externally.
Can you restrict external sharing to specific domains in SharePoint?
Yes, you can restrict external sharing to specific domains in SharePoint by configuring domain-based sharing restrictions in the SharePoint admin center.
How can you audit external sharing activity in SharePoint?
You can audit external sharing activity in SharePoint by using the audit log search feature in the Security & Compliance Center.
How can you set up approval workflows for external sharing requests in SharePoint?
You can set up approval workflows for external sharing requests in SharePoint by configuring the access requests and invitations settings in the site permissions.
How can you configure external sharing settings for SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business?
You can configure external sharing settings
Can someone explain the different options available for managing external file sharing settings in SharePoint?
Is there a way to monitor who has accessed shared files in SharePoint?
Do these settings also apply to Microsoft Teams files since they are stored in SharePoint?
I appreciate the detailed info, thanks!
How do I prevent users from sharing files externally from a specific SharePoint site?
What happens to external users if I change the sharing settings after files have been shared?
Great post, very informative.
Can I use PowerShell to manage external sharing settings for SharePoint sites?