Sharing files

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Access permissions and sharing of files

UNSW IT has put measures in place to ensure your data is better protected and to reduce unintentional sharing of information.  

What are our default settings?

A default ‘private’ setting has been applied to all OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams sites, meaning only members can access the content – including all files, folders and documents – contained in the site. Only a member of the site where that file resides will be able to access them. 

Whenever you share a file from SharePoint or your UNSW OneDrive, the default setting only allows people you select to be able to view (but not edit) the shared file. You may therefore receive email notifications to ‘request permission’ for someone to access a file, or to grant permission to access a file or folder. 

If someone receives a document from someone else, (for example; they have been forwarded an email that contains a file but they have not been identified as a person with permission to view or edit), this will also trigger a ‘request permission’ email notification.

How do you change the permission before sharing?

  • You can change the default setting for each document you share, at the time of sharing to make that file accessible to multiple people, as well as enabling editing.
  • This Microsoft video is a great starting point for understanding how to set permissions. For additional tips on managing and securing information, see the following pages for OneDrive and Microsoft Teams. 

Who has access to your documents?

  • Everyone should take some time to review your collaboration sites, such as SharePoint and Teams, look at who has permissions and can access files and folders in a site to make sure the right people can access the right information.
    • Want to see who currently has access to your Office 365 files? Refer to the guides below to develop a detailed Sharing Report.
  • All collaboration sites are set to ‘private’ by default. If you would like to have your SharePoint or Teams site set to ‘public’ (accessible to all in UNSW), or if you would like assistance with setting permissions on your files and folders, please contact UNSW IT.

Curious about who has access to your files?

Use our step-by-step guides below to generate a SharePoint Sharing Report and find out exactly who has access to your Office 365 files.
 

    FAQs

    Downloading a Sharing Report using OneDrive

    Want to know who has access to your OneDrive files? These FAQs answer common questions about generating a Sharing Report through OneDrive.​

    • We've created a guide for you. Take a look our How to Guide: Generate SharePoint Report through OneDrive (Web Version). 

    • Make sure you're using the web version of OneDrive (not the desktop app) and that you're signed in with your UNSW Microsoft 365 account. The option is located under Settings > More Settings > Advanced settings. If you still can't see it, try refreshing your browser or clearing your cache.

    • This depends on how many files and folders you have in your OneDrive. For most users, it takes between 5-30 minutes. You'll receive an email notification when the report is ready, and the CSV file will appear in the selected folder location.

    • Unfortunately, OneDrive's built-in sharing report runs at the account level, not per-folder. It includes all shared items in your OneDrive, not just a specific folder.

    • This means the file or folder can be accessed by anyone who has the sharing link, even if they don't have a UNSW account.

    • Try opening the file with Excel, Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet application. If it still won't open, the file might still be generating. Wait a few more minutes and try again.

    • No, OneDrive sharing reports must be run manually. Consider running one monthly or quarterly to maintain good sharing hygiene.

    • Take time to review these shares and remove access for anyone who no longer needs it. This gives you a chance to clean up your sharing permissions and make sure the right people have the right level of access.

    Need to ask for help?

    Get assistance with a technical issue by raising a service ticket to get help from our IT support team.
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