Receiving unsolicited OneDrive File/Folder shares, how do I stop it?

Hello Jian Qiao,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum!

I understand that you’re facing the same issue with receiving unwanted OneDrive folder-sharing notifications. I’m truly sorry for this inconvenience when getting spam shares without any way to block the sender must feel very frustrating. I completely understand how upsetting this can be, and I’m here to help.

Here are some suggestions that may improve the situation:

1. Hide the shared files

Go to OneDrive Web → Shared → Files shared with you → Select → Hide from Shared.

This will remove the files from your view (though they will still remain in the sender’s OneDrive).

2. Report abuse

In the same menu, choose Report abuse for each unwanted share.

This notifies Microsoft so we can investigate and take appropriate action if the sender is violating policies.

3. Contact Microsoft Support for escalation

Since these unwanted shares happen every few hours, this is considered persistent harassment.

Please reach out to Microsoft Support through support.microsoft.com/contactus → Sign in → OneDrive → For Home Use → Chat or Request a Call.

You can explain: “I am receiving repeated unwanted OneDrive shares without email notifications and I have no option to block the sender. Please help escalate this issue.”

4. Submit feedback

Your feedback is very important to us, it helps our engineering team improve the product for all users. Visit here: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app

Please understand for us that, we don’t have access to your personal account, your subscription, or your OneDrive data, so we’re not able to control who sends you shared files or stop those shares from your side. To help prevent similar issues in the future, it’s also a good idea to be careful when sharing your email address or personal information on external websites or services.

I truly hope this helps, and I’m always here if you need more assistance or have any updates.

Best regards,

Hi, How can I turn off receiving shared files in OneDrive? I don't want to risk it.

I agree, how about make a button that stops people I don't know from sending me files??? WTF, what if my child has my phone and clicks the link or what if my elderly parents click on something thinking someone is sending them something... if I don't know you I don't want a file from you. Stop making scammers lives easier microsoft, you all ready employ enough of them.

This is a significant security risk and Microsoft needs to address this pretty urgently. Allowing people to share files with you, which you can ONLY hide is a serious flaw. ITs fine someone wants to try and share something with me but I need to have the ability to accept or reject it not just hide the file. This is allowing an attacker to flood people's onedrive with unsolicited and malicious files and the recipient has no control (other than to hide)...

I keep receiving them. If they continue, I'm going back to Google Drive.

I've had the same problem since yesterday. What's more, I'm receiving it on an alias that I created solely for the purpose of logging into my MS account, so it's doubly strange to me - it hasn't been used anywhere besides Outlook/Onedrive loggin(did microsoft leak my login????). On the other hand, since it's an alias for logging into my account, I haven't configured it as an email address at all so no spam email jst notifications and sus pdfs in shared onedrive.

I do not use, nor do I want OneDrive. I have been getting spammed for days with these same notifications.

How do I disable this securty risk entirely? How do I shut down my OneDrive account so no files can be shared with it?

This has been a big problem for me for the last week. Seemingly random people sharing PDF's with possibly malicious links in them, and there is no way to remove them except for reporting and hoping MS does something. It makes OneDrive rather dangerous to use.

Happened to me as well. There's no way to unreceive a share and block a sender as far as I can work out. Looks like I can only hide it but then it's still there in the background, appearing in searches, lurking, hidden from view. Hacker's paradise.

Surely this is not just a security issue, but just as important a breach of consent. You should be allowed to review something someone is trying to share with you and be given the option of accepting or denying it else it opens you up to any random spammer that has your email address to automatically share on your drive.

I can't Hide or Delete shared files.

I'd like to add my voice to this. I've been getting these files sent to me for the last couple of weeks. Microsoft needs to address this ASAP

I've got the same issue and am getting extremely frustrated with receiving these files. There should be an option to block all sharing unless you authorise. I can't believe that they have security in place for email junk but not sharing junk.

I recently got into the same issue.

This is a serious flaw Microsoft, and needs to be adressed asap!

The general help posted above is not any help.

1. There is no email received upon being shared with, ergo no one to block.
2. Some files is possible to hide and report, others are not.
3. Disabling Onedrive notifications to not be bothered is not a solution.

I'm getting spammed by these shared files too. It's unbelievable that in this age of security awareness, Microsoft a) doesn't offer any controls over accepting shared files b) doesn't detect and removed malicious content and spam and c) doesn't have a robust method of reporting and deleting these files ( yes there is a report option- it fails more often than it works.)

Being spammed with them this past couple weeks after having no issues for years. How on earth are MS so inept to even allow this, and not allow us to turn the feature off

Instead I am getting sent adult images in pdf form etc in the hope I click on the links!!

Also in uk law the moderators comment is not true

Are you liable if they share illegal content?

• No, you are not liable just for receiving a share.
• Liability only arises if you download, store, or redistribute illegal content.
• Simply ignoring or deleting the share keeps you safe.

Receiving highly illegal images is also classed as distribution and sharing content as has been shown in many prosecution cases

Are you liable if they share illegal content?

• No, you are not liable just for receiving a share.
• Liability only arises if you download, store, or redistribute illegal content.
• Simply ignoring or deleting the share keeps you safe.

This is NOT true for certain extreme images in UK law (people are for example prosecuted for "production" of certain extreme images that were received in WA messages etc) , and a massive risk to people casually allowing this to go on.

Also you also say dont click on them etc. Well in your app notifications on mobile they just come up and immediately loads the content to your phone to view when clicked not even just to a preview or information page beforehand

I have the same issue. It's annoying that I cannot turn this off. Turning off permissions on every invidual file or deleting them is useless - they keep coming from other bots.

I want to be able to turn off this feature for everyone.

Also, this. You cannot remove it, only 'hide from shared'. But then I'm presented with a dialog asking to remove it, which it isn't doing, since I'll still have access to it after 'removal'. I want it gone! I don't want to have access to it after I 'remove' it!

Most of these files are removed some time after reporting them, but I have one file that I can't delete or even report on and has stayed in my shared files for days now. Sad to see onedrive becoming as bad as outlook.com.

If I end up with a vast amount of illegal content on my PC, as a result of the decision of Microsoft to cease my control over what is shared to me, would the Admins please confirm that Microsoft will defend any prosecution, pay any fines and compensate me for any time spent or losses incurred?

I've had several in the last hour alone. "Report a concern" majority of the time says sorry theres a problem please try again later. Deleting, only sometimes decides it wants to delete

MS this is a disgrace forcing us to receive all these soft pornographic image pdfs with maliscious links inside them with no option to prevent them. I am getting notifications on phone, tablet email, and these images show up, on the previews whether I like it or not WITH CHILDREN AROUND!

I cannot even report them and get an error. I try deleting and they still are there. Makes me so mad!

This is a big issue ! I'm being spammed with thousands of files. No way to stop this ! I received spams on my Gmail email address linked to my Microsoft account. I'm suprised that this vulnerability exists. We can see files directly in our laptops ( if synch is activated ).

How can we stop automatic loading of files in our personal OneDrive space ? Is there any alternative?

Best regards,

I just got a file sent to me, a PDF called "18+ Photos 22" by a "Virgil Muccigrosso"

I got an alert on my pc that a file had been shared by this person (whom I do not know) so I clicked the notification thinking it would just send me to the OneDrive but it opened the file!

I luckily didn't click on anything in the file which is a picture of a woman in a compromising position with a man but luckily no nudity. This however is disgusting!

I cannot delete it nor can I block the email as the email is hidden from me!

I've reported it twice and also looked into how to stop people from sharing files with me and there is no way or setting to stop it! Turning off notifications won't stop you from receiving these gross and harmful files!

I did a virus scan just encase although I didn't click anything on the pdf and luckily nothing but it doesn't change anything!

Something needs to be done asap.

Microsoft is not listening only increasing subscription price every year and with more poor customer service every year. Leaving us to a mercy of brainless copilot and deaf staff.

Microsoft is not listening only increasing subscription price every year and with more poor customer service every year. Leaving us to a mercy of brainless copilot and deaf staff.

Just got the same issue. Thank you for the suggestions, however I am unable to report these files. it is stuck, on the 'Report' button, and says it is sending but goes back to the one to select, options, to report unfortunately.

May this be fixed soon.

IINCLUDED SCREENSHOT OF SPAM/SCAMMER:

I am absolutely outraged by this. A huge security risk! I've ended up unlinking my OneDrive account from my PC because of this. I don't want no junk/spam on my PC! Why wasn't there an option to allow/disallow people from sharing content with us in the first place? Pretty stupid in my opinion!

(Edit: I didn't realise I was commenting underneath this post... my bad)

I am absolutely outraged by this. A huge security risk! I've ended up unlinking my OneDrive account from my PC because of this. I don't want no junk/spam on my PC! Why wasn't there an option to allow/disallow people from sharing content with us in the first place? Pretty stupid in my opinion!

I can't believe Microsoft employees thought it a great idea to bring spammers and scammers into close proximity to their customers! Perhaps a spammer/scammer has infiltrated them! I cannot believe a single customer wants this!!

This has just happened to me and there seems to be no way to delete, block or remove the PDF file. This NEEDS to be addressed URGENTLY!

I have the first one i talked about the 18+ one as a short cut in my quick access saying its d.docs.live.net and i cant delete it or find it on my pc, i unlinked my onedrive from my pc i have no idea what to do im scared

Here's what happens when I try to remove a folder shared with me

Adding to this that im also receiving unsolicited files with very questionable filenames and unable to report and/or delete these files. Fix this. please.

I have a open ticket with microsoft on this matter and will let you know the outcome when they get back to me.

I’m having the same issue. I cannot hide or remove the file that was shared with me. How can it show up on my account with me accepting anything to begin with.

i have tried everything. This absurd.

let alone we have issues with calendar invites getting posted without consent and cannot be removed

I have had these shares in my OneDrive for a week now. I can neither delete them nor do I feel that reporting them does anything at all. By now, I have received almost 60 shares. Microsoft, do something about this—this is a serious security issue, and we all pay you enough money. It’s really not too much to ask to protect private users from exactly these kinds of things. Especially since the feature that controls who is allowed to share with me is available to business customers. If this problem is not resolved in the next few days, I will feel compelled to report it to the press to inform others how little you actually care about private users. Very sad, I must say.

Me as well - the past few weeks now!

i'm getting weekly crap sent from spammers too.

i can't MASS block or delete/report. it has to be done Individually.

all these smart people working for you and that's the best you came up with? NONSENSE

it looks like you're SUPPORTING these activities.

work on tools to protect us all, to make it easier to Block/Stop/Delete all this crap we're getting.

new allias too. did you get hacked? PATHETIC

Me as well, this week, two at the moment?.

exactly the same: I use this e-mail as microsoft account only. And someone found a way to find it and to spam it. And no solution for one month. Nice!

This just happened to me. I hide it from the shared with me but it keeps showing on my recent files. I want it gone.

Mayor security flaw. Agree with most people here. This is a deal breaker. If not fixed quickly moving to a others cloud storage provider.

Same issue here, and it's really poor that MS don't seem that willing to address this issue rather than pass on local 'fixes' to individuals...who pay MS!

I've opened a ticket on microsoft support and they answered me. Basically, they said that the engineering team is aware of the problem and are working on it. Said to unshare and report the files, but regarding to the file appearing on the "Recent" files tab, it is not possible to hide it. But it should disappear once the problem is solved.

Very frustrating. I had to create several empty files so I won't click on that malicious file by mistake.

Good job Microsoft.

Since my last comment/ reply on the 11th of December I’ve received plenty more shared files/ malware from fraudulent bots. Not just that it is a pain that I manually have to delete the files/ docs it is currently not even possible. In the recent scenario I can’t even report it… it always shows me this error message (see screenshot)…

Please MSFT get your engineers together and make it possible to only receive shared files from contacts or at least have to approve it first! This is a huge security issue in onedrive !!!

My shared folder in OneDrive is receiving 20+ shared files a day from hackers. As I do not use this folder regularly I just want to switch it off. How do I do that? The 'Report a Concern' function sometimes faults and there is no way to select all of them at once to delete them. Please Microsoft provide a solution.

Hi Q&A Community Members,

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas.

Given these limitations, the most appropriate avenue for product changes or feature requests is to submit feedback through the official Microsoft feedback channels: https://support.microsoft.com/windows/send-feedback-to-microsoft-with-the-feedback-hub-app-f59187f8-8739-22d6-ba93-f66612949332

Thank you for your understanding.

I have reported over 40 pornographic files which appear the shared folder. Microsoft says this is a violation and action has been taken. Today another 48 files appeared . DO SOMETHING NOW Microsoft!

Same issue, paying home subscriber. This is unacceptable from Microsoft, a massive oversight on their part. Turning off notifications does not make the problem go away. I still have unwanted malware shares in my folder and should not need to select them one by one and report them.

I have received hundreds of these files. Is Microsoft working on this? What is the hold-up?!?

I have received more than 100 of these unsolicited shares in 15 days, ignoring it is not the solution, I pay for the One Drive service, I don't have to be searching for a shared file in the middle of 100 shares of spam and porn that I can't even easily eliminate! Please look into this!

I wish Microsoft would accept this is an issue for many (paying) users and work to stop this. Even simply being able to select multiple items rather than one at a time would help.