SharePoint Online Sharing oprions; Direct Access Vs Share Vs Grant Permission

Question

If we want to share a file or folder inside a document library, we have 3 main methods:-

1. Direct Access
2. Share
3. Grant Permission, as follow:-

now based on my testing and reading i found those points:-

Point-1) using Share and Direct access (unlike using Grant Permission) will allow the external user to access the File/Folder without having to login. and at the end the users will access the file/folder without creating a guest account inside our tenant.

Point-2) Unlike the Share & Direct Access >> using Grant Permissions >> will show the invitation inside "Access requests and invitations"

Point-3) Using Grant Permission (unlike share and direct access), and after the user access the file/folder a guest account will be created for the user inside out office 365..

Point-4) If we want to share a document library or list or a site when we only have the option to use Grant Permission

So i have those 2 questions:-

Question-1) is my above 4 points valid and accurate? or i am missing something?

Question-2) when to use each option ? and is there a method that is preferred over the other?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi @john john,

Question-1) is my above 4 points valid and accurate? or I am missing something?

Yes, you are totally right. As a supplement, you can also share a document library or list or a site by adding the user to your existing group.

And you can also share the file via this "Share" option.

Question-2) when to use each option ? and is there a method that is preferred over the other?

If you want the user access the file via a shared file link and set something like expiration date and password, you can choose option-1. It's good for temporary access scenario;

If the user has been added to your organization and access the file via the SharePoint file path, you can choose option-2;

If you want the user to be assigned with custom permission level (not just can edit or can read), you can choose option-3.

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