Personal One Drive share with anyone link asking for account log in to open

Question

I have provided share links to several Word and PDF documents using a "view only" and "anyone with link can view" from my personal One Drive account. Some people have no issues opening the files, but for some people, the link fails and asks them to login to an MS account, so the link cannot be viewed by anyone without an account. Can you provide instructions for these people to disable/remove the need to login to MS to open these files?

I searched online and found a topic saying I can change my OneDrive sharing settings, but in my OneDrive settings, under Options, there is no "sharing" tab available, here is the solution I found previously:

"Next, please check your OneDrive sharing settings. You may need to adjust your sharing settings to allow sharing with anyone, even those without a Microsoft account. To do this, go to the OneDrive website, click on the "Settings" gear icon, then select "Options". Under the "Sharing" tab, make sure that the option "Allow sharing with people who don't have a Microsoft account" is selected."

Perhaps this setting has changed since that posting?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi, in my case - the link shows the file/s without signing in to an account but when I try to open one of the files via the web versions of Word/Excel - it then prompts me to sign in. And if I do try to sign in with my account (has an E5 license), it gives me or my user either of the following errors:

I can download the files and view them using the installed apps but there will be too many files to download and work that way so the user wants to be able to open it via the web versions if possible.

I am sending the link from a personal account to a business/ government office. They are getting the above error message. i have tried all the above remedies - nothing works

Answer 2

Hi, in my case - the link shows the file/s without signing in to an account but when I try to open one of the files via the web versions of Word/Excel - it then prompts me to sign in. And if I do try to sign in with my account (has an E5 license), it gives me or my user either of the following errors:

I can download the files and view them using the installed apps but there will be too many files to download and work that way so the user wants to be able to open it via the web versions if possible.

Answer 3

The above solution does not work. The problem as initially stated has already said that the link was made with a "view only" and "anyone with link can view"

I too have the same issue even after the solution offerred by Gina.X - MSFT on Feb 12 , 2025 was tried which essentially was a repeat of what Randy Wade already said on 11th Feb 2025.

I made a link with "Anyone with the link can view" and found that many could not access the files. When they tried it asked them to log in . Only those who had already logged in to a MS account could see this.

It seems your software does a pre-check to see if the viewer is already logged in to a MS account..any MS account is ok but it needs a logged in user.

Seems like a bug to be fixed...Microsoft

Answer 4

Hi Randy Wade,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I realize that you've encountered a problem with Personal OneDrive share with anyone link asking for account log in to open and I understand how you feel.

If you want anyone who receives the sharing link to be able to access the content, select Anyone with the link option in Link settings.

The recipients won't need a Microsoft account and can access the content without having to enter a passcode or sign in.

**Caution:**Recipients can forward the link to others and anyone who receives the link will be able to view and access the content.

If you want to specify who receives the sharing link, select the Specific people option in Link settings. The recipients need a Microsoft account to be able to access the content.

References:External or guest sharing in OneDrive, SharePoint, and Lists - Microsoft Support

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance.

Best Regards,

Gina-MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist