Action

Sharing a folder in OneDrive for Business is very similar to sharing a file.  You can give one or more people permission to view/edit the contents of the folder by the instructions below.

Instructions

1. Select the folder you wish to share and choose Share in the top menu:
   
   
   

2. After you click on Share, a new action box will appear:

   
   

   1. To invite a UAlbany user to this folder, simply start typing their name or email address in the field provided and a search will be made of the UAlbany Mail Global Address List (GAL) to find the user. Click on the appropriate person from the search results.  Repeat this process to add multiple people to the list.  

   2. To invite someone who is external to the University, just enter their email address and confirm by clicking on the item in the search results.  (You will see a confirmation that this person is outside of your organization.)
      

   3. Click the text People in University at Albany - SUNY with the link can edit above the address(es) you entered and select sharing permissions. The link can be created to be used by anyone who clicks on it, only users within University at Albany, people with existing access (with whom you've already shared it), or specific people. Please note that if Anyone is selected, anybody with the link will also be able to share that link with anyone else.
      
   4. Under more settings, you can determine whether this sharing link will allow people to edit your shared content or just view it.  By default, recipients can edit your content. To change this, click on Can edit and change it to Can view:
      
   5. If you've selected Can view, the option to Block download will also become available.  If you don't turn Block download On, recipients will be able to download a copy of your content.
      
      
   6. You can optionally include a message that will be sent to the selected person(s).

3. Click Send to instantly share the link to your folder and an email will be sent to any addresses you listed.  Alternatively, select Copy to copy the the URL to share by pasting, or select Outlook to start a new email to share the link:
   

   You will also receive an emailed copy of that message if you shared with albany.edu users. If you shared it with external users, you will not receive a copy.

   People external to albany.edu must use the link in the email invitation to log in and access the folder the first time. Thereafter, the system will associate their Microsoft account with the access list and they will be able to use any available link to that folder.

4. A shared folder will require a login to gain access. UAlbany customers will sign in with their UAlbany Mail email address and password.  Non-UAlbany customers will need to use a personal Microsoft account to log in.  They will be presented with the option to quickly and easily create one if they do not already have one:
                 
   
   They should use their existing email address as the address for their new Microsoft account. 
   

    If you are sharing with someone from another University that is also using a Microsoft 365, then they will be able to use their own University email and password just as we do.                                     

5. You will notice that the file now has a picture of several people under the Sharing column with the word Shared:
   
   

For more information on Sharing OneDrive for Business Files and Folders, see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/share-onedrive-files-and-folders-9fcc2f7d-de0c-4cec-93b0-a82024800c07