Sharing a link to a sharepoint library document

Question

My understanding is that if I decided to use sharepoint as my legal practice management site, with portals for all my clients, each portal member would be a "user" and I would therefore be charged for each user. With come 60 clients, that is not a cost efficient solution.

But could I provide access to a client for their specific file documents? Could I send them a link to view a given folder without incurring a charge for a "user"?

Answer 1

Hi @Stanley Denman ,

According to my research，there are different ways to share files or folders with external users (guests) in SharePoint, and the cost may vary depending on the method you choose.

One way to share files or folders with external users is to use the Share option in OneDrive or SharePoint. This option allows you to send a link to the external user, who can then access the file or folder without signing in or creating an account. This option does not incur any additional cost, as long as you have enough storage space in your OneDrive or SharePoint plan. However, this option has some limitations, such as:

• You can only share individual files or folders, not entire sites or libraries.
• You cannot grant the external user any permissions other than view or edit.
• You cannot apply any security settings or policies to the link, such as expiration date, password, or download restriction.
• You cannot track or manage the external user’s activity on the file or folder.

Another way to share files or folders with external users is to use the Invite people option in SharePoint. This option allows you to invite the external user to join your site as a guest, who can then access the file or folder by signing in with a Microsoft account or a work or school account from another organization. This option may incur some additional cost, depending on your SharePoint plan and the number of guests you invite. However, this option has some advantages, such as:

• You can share entire sites or libraries with external users, not just individual files or folders.
• You can grant the external user different permissions levels, such as read-only, contribute, or full control.
• You can apply security settings and policies to the guest account, such as multi-factor authentication, conditional access, or retention policies.
• You can track and manage the external user’s activity on the site or library.

To summarize, if you want to share files or folders with external users without incurring any additional cost, you can use the Share option in OneDrive or SharePoint. However, this option has some limitations and risks that you should be aware of. If you want to have more control and security over the external sharing, you can use the Invite people option in SharePoint. However, this option may incur some additional cost depending on your plan and usage.

For your reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/external-or-guest-sharing-in-onedrive-sharepoint-and-lists-7aa070b8-d094-4921-9dd9-86392f2a79e7

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