Sharing folder in a folder without sharing the other contents in the parent folder.

Question

1. I would like to share each team member's folder with them without sharing the other team members' folder. I created a folder in my Admin Team folder for each member. Then I shared only the team member's own folder. The link they click on takes them directly to their folder; however, they can select the parent folder and see everyone else's folders.
2. Once I have shared this with them can I take away the sharing privileges to the other folders? I looked at "Who has access" and it doesn't list all the members that actually do have access.

Answer 1

Hi @Judy Ritola, 

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for reaching out with your questions regarding OneDrive folder sharing. I understand the concern around ensuring that each team member can access only their own folder without visibility or access to others. 

Based on your description, your current configuration in OneDrive for Business is working as designed. 

When you share an individual folder within your OneDrive (for example, a team member’s personal folder inside an “Admin Team” folder), OneDrive automatically assigns that user Limited Access to the parent folders. This Limited Access is required purely for navigation purposes so the user can reach the folder that was explicitly shared with them. 

As a result: 

• The shared link correctly opens the team member’s own folder. 
• If the user navigates to the parent folder, they may be able to see the names of other folders. 
• However, they cannot open, view, download, or access any other team members’ folders unless those folders were explicitly shared with them. 

To ensure that each person can see only their own folder, please follow these steps: 

1. Open the parent folder in OneDrive and select Manage access. Remove any users or links that grant access to the entire folder structure. 
2. For each individual team member’s folder, open Manage access and ensure that only the intended user is listed. 
3. Share only the direct folder link with that user after confirming that the parent folder is no longer shared. 

If it is a strict requirement that users must not even see other folder names, OneDrive does not support that level of isolation. In such cases, I recommend alternative approaches such as using separate top-level shared folders with no shared parent, separate OneDrive accounts as drop-off locations, or moving the content to SharePoint with separate document libraries or sites. 

In summary, you have shared the folders correctly, there is no unintended access to revoke, and the behavior you are observing in navigation and in the “Who has access” view is expected behavior in OneDrive for Business. 

I hope you found the answer helpful, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could mark it as accepted. This helps highlight the solution for others who may be searching for similar information in the community. Your contribution not only supports fellow users in finding the right guidance more quickly, but also helps build a more resourceful and collaborative space for everyone. 

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum. 

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