Cloud file attachments

Question

One of our client's user needs to periodically email out documents, spreadsheet etc. to 3rd parties outside their company.

The user attaches the required documents that may be 5 or more spreadsheet from their shared TeamSite/OneDrive

Each file appears to be attached with a little cloud symbol in the icon, and then is sent with any issue or so it appears.

The recipient however receives the email but with out any attachments.

The user is selecting the files from their local explorer folder where the files are synced to.

Viewing the email using OWA the attachment appear but will not open, and take the user to the 365 login portal.

From within excel you can send an email with the spreadsheet attached which the recipient can open ( this method is long winded but works)

Right clicking the selected file allows for a web link to the cloud document to be added to the email, which means the recipient has to open each link and the download each file to their local device (again long winded)

The final option was to save all the required documents locally then attach them. (again long winded)

Are we missing something!!

As we are now starting to roll out 365 to our clients, this is becoming a major issue.

Any help and guidance would be appreciated.

Gary.

Answer 1

Hi Gary,

Does David's answer address your questions?

Regards,

Fraser

Answer 2

hey Gary

Currently, if a file exist in SharePoint/ODFB, when you share a file, it sends an email to the user with a link to the file. Depending on your Sharing Settings depends on what the end user must to. They either have to authenticate or you can use Anonymous Guest links. The file still will live in SharePoint/ODFB, the user just has access rights to the file. Meaning they will log into the web browser to read/edit the file.

If you want to send a separate file to an end user, then you can download the file and send it to them.

The first thing you need to do is check your sharing permissions. Go to the SharePoint Admin Center > Sharing and see what settings you have it on.

You can either have it set to

• Don't allow sharing outside your organization
• Allow Sharing only with the external users that already exist in your directory
• Allow users to invite and share with Authenticated External Users
• Allow sharing to authenticated external users and using Anonymous Access Links

Now, on all of the above, the file will still always live in the library, the user you are sharing the file with will use the WebApps to edit/read the file. You will not be sending the end user the actual file.

You can also limit sharing to only specific domains, or even block sharing from specific domains. You will see all this in your Sharing section.

So, I guess the first thing you need to figure out is, do you actually want to send the end user the actual files, or do you want the end users to read or edit the files online, and then the file is saved back to your library in SharePoint. Once you answer that question, you will know if you need to adjust the sharing permissions.

Please let us know if this helps answer your question.

Thanks