Folder sharing access issue

Question

I have shared a folder with others, but they are unable to access it. Could you check if there is any issue with the permissions or sharing settings?

Answer 1

Dear @Amol P,

Thank you for reaching out. I understand how inconvenient it can be when shared folders are not accessible as expected, and I’ll be happy to guide you through the most common causes and checks.

To proceed, could you please help confirm the following:

1. Could you please confirm how you configured the folder permissions when sharing it with others?
2. Additionally, is the folder located in OneDrive or SharePoint?
3. I noticed that your post is tagged as For Business, but I would like to kindly confirm once more whether you are using a business account or a personal account to share the folder.
4. May I also ask whether the users you shared the folder with are within the same organization or external users?
5. Is the folder you shared located within other parent folders (nested inside other folders), or is it at the root level?
6. If possible, please provide screenshots of the sharing and permission settings so that I can assist you more effectively.

In the meantime, please kindly help me review these steps below:

1.Verify the sharing permissions on the folder

• Open the folder in OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Select Manage access and confirm that the intended users are listed with Can view or Can edit permissions (not just a sharing link).
• Microsoft’s official guidance explains how to review and adjust this here. For reference, please refer to: Manage sharing and permissions in OneDrive and SharePoint

2.Check permission inheritance

• If the folder is inside another folder or document library, permissions may be broken or restricted.
• Even if folder-level sharing exists, users may still be blocked if inheritance is broken at a lower level (folder or file).

3.Confirm users have access to parent locations

• For nested folders, users must have at least access visibility to all parent folders.
• Without access to the parent path, the shared folder may not open, even though it is technically shared.

4.Validate how the folder was shared

If you shared the folder via a link, please ensure that the link has not expired, been deleted, or been restricted in any way.

Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.   

Kindly let me know the outcome after checking these steps above. Thank you very much for your valuable time and your cooperation.

I am looking forward to your response!

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