Manage document privacy

The OneDrive library provided for you is typically protected from public viewing by default. Only you can access personal documents and media files that you store in it unless you explicitly share a folder of documents or a single document with other people in your organization for reviewing or co-editing.

Note:  Features of and access to your library may differ from what is described in this article, depending your organization's customizations.

Built-in privacy for personal documents

All documents and files in the top-level OneDrive for Business library on your personal site are protected from public view by default, making it an apt location for storing confidential documents or original drafts that you want to save, for example. Only you can see this content, except for those documents that you explicitly indicate that you want to share.

Typically a Shared with Everyone folder is provided for documents that you want to share with everyone in your organization. Permissions on this folder are typically set for Can view.

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Change sharing permissions for a document

You can change the permissions of people sharing a folder or document straight from a document library. Documents may inherit permissions from the folder that contains them and you can change those settings from the library also.

Note:  Changes to a folder apply to all documents within the folder unless you select a document and specifically set different permissions for the people with whom you've shared the document.

Note:  Features of and access to your library may differ from what is described in this article, depending your organization's customizations.

To change permissions for someone sharing a folder of documents or a single document:

1. From the OneDrive for Business library, in the Sharing column for the folder or document, click Shared with some people . A details page appears with sharing options.

2. For each person whose permissions you want to change, click the down arrow to the right of the name, and then click Can edit, Can view, or Stop sharing. To give someone else permission to share the document or folder or document, click INVITE PEOPLE, set their permissions and click SHARE.

3. If you want to change inheritance settings, whereby a document may inherit permissions from a parent folder, click ADVANCED and use the ribbon options to reset inheritance.

4. Click Save changes.

For more information about setting document-sharing permissions, see Share items in a library.

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Share documents with other people in your organization

Your personal OneDrive for Business library lets you share a folder or document with other people for their reference or for co-editing. To share a folder of documents or a single document with more people, you can click the Shared with some people icon ( ) and invite people to share the document for viewing or editing. Or you can click the ellipsis (…) to the right of a folder or document in your library, and then type the name of someone with whom you want to share the item for viewing or editing.

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