See who can access a OneDrive or SharePoint file

To review a file before client handoff, select it in OneDrive for work or school, SharePoint, or Teams, then inspect Manage Access for people, groups, and links. Microsoft’s guide to seeing who a file is shared with describes this workflow. This guide is based on vendor documentation, not hands-on verification.

Open the access details

In the document library, select the file you plan to hand off. Select Share above the file list. If the file is already shared with other people, the Share window shows a group of circular items at its lower left. Hover over that area for a Manage Access summary, then click the group to open the full Manage Access panel.

Read each part of the panel: People who have access, Groups who have access, and Links used to give access. A name or email address is only one part of the review. A group or a sharing link can also provide access, so check those entries before deciding who can open the file. Select a person’s name in Manage Access when you need that person’s Access summary, which can include groups with access to the site where the file resides.

For each entry, ask whether that person, group, or link should still have access at handoff. Check the permission shown as well. Can view permits viewing; Can edit permits changes. If a link gives access to people in your organization who have it, consider whether that reach fits the intended handoff, even if the people you expect to use the file are already listed elsewhere.

Decide whether the file is ready

Compare the access you find with the people who should receive the file. If an unexpected person or group appears, a link reaches more people than intended, or someone can edit when they should only view, resolve that difference before handoff. Manage Access can be used to stop sharing or change permissions. After making a change, open the panel again and check the resulting people, groups, links, and permissions against your intended list.

Pay particular attention to entries you cannot identify from a familiar name. Microsoft says internal users appear by name, while external users appear by email address with “External User” beneath it. Use the displayed email address when deciding whether an external entry belongs in the handoff. Do not treat the absence of an unfamiliar name as proof that no unfamiliar access exists; review the links and groups too.

Check access beyond the file

The file’s Manage Access panel is the starting point, not the whole answer when access may come from a parent site or folder. Check those parent rights separately if a person may inherit access through them. A clean-looking list of direct file sharing entries should not settle that question.

If the shared group does not appear in the Share window, avoid concluding that only you can access the file. Continue the parent site or folder check where inherited access is possible. If a sharing option is grayed out while you are trying to correct access, Microsoft says an organization’s administrators may have restricted it. Treat that unresolved permission as a handoff issue until the access you intended can be confirmed.