SharePoint Permission Levels to Allow Read ONLY, but no downloading

Question

I provide links on a website to files stored in a SharePoint library. The links must allow users to view or read the files only. Along with that, they must not be able to download the files. When customizing a permission level, which permissions must be selected?

Answer 1

Hi @Baltazar, Will, 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for reaching out and for clearly explaining your requirement. I understand the need to allow users to view or read files from SharePoint while preventing downloads, especially when files are exposed through a public-facing website. 

At this time, SharePoint does not support a permission level that allows users to view files without the ability to download them. SharePoint permissions are authorization-based, and there is no separate permission that controls downloading. If a user has permission to open or view a file, the file must be delivered to their device, which inherently allows it to be downloaded. 

Custom permission levels do not provide a way to block downloads while still allowing view access. This is a platform limitation rather than a configuration issue. 

There are a few partial alternatives depending on the file type and scenario. For Office documents such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, SharePoint Online offers view-only sharing links with a “Block download” option.  

However, this applies only to Office file formats and is controlled through link settings, not permission levels. It also does not apply to PDFs or other file types. 

Because of these limitations, SharePoint cannot guarantee true view-only access without download capability in all cases. If strict protection is required, additional solutions such as sensitivity labels, rights management, or a dedicated document viewing platform may need to be considered. 

We understand how important this functionality is for your workflow. I recommend submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via the Feedback Portal to help prioritize this feature in future updates. 

    

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Answer 2

To allow users to read files in a SharePoint library without the ability to download them, you can create a custom permission level. This custom permission level should include the following permissions:

1. View Items - This permission allows users to view the items in the library.
2. Open Items - This permission allows users to open items in the library, which is necessary for viewing.
3. View Versions - This permission allows users to view the version history of items, if applicable.

However, to prevent downloading, you must ensure that the permission to download files is not included. Unfortunately, SharePoint does not provide a built-in permission level that allows viewing without downloading, as the default behavior allows users to download files when they have view access. You may need to consider using sensitivity labels or other configurations to restrict downloading further, but this may depend on your organization's policies and the specific SharePoint setup.

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References:

• Default permission levels
• Determine permission levels and groups in SharePoint Server