Users and groups are not in ACL but have access to SPO site folders

Question

Hi All,

On the SharePoint Online site there are some folder with unique permissions.

ACL allows access to group A and group B and user A.

However, more other users who are not listed in ACL have access to that folder.

When I checked permissions I found this and if I click Show users I get all users who have access to those folder but not listed in ACL.

My question is why it is so and how to prevent it as otherwise SPO folder ACL becomes useless.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello @X-Box-11-2021,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum and thank you for reaching out to us.  

Based on the information you provided, it appears that your concern is related to SharePoint permissions.  

The yellow banner you are seeing typically appears when items within the library (such as files or folders) have been shared or when a sharing link has been generated. These shares may involve internal users or external users, depending on your organization’s SharePoint sharing settings.  

For more details, you may refer to Microsoft’s official documentation on Sharing & permissions in the SharePoint modern experience - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Micro… 

Files and folders can be shared by:  

• Members who have edit or contribute permissions  
• Owners who have full control  

If you would like to limit or prevent members from sharing content, you can manage this directly from the SharePoint site’s permission settings by adjusting the access level or restricting sharing at the site or library level.  

• In the top-right corner, click the Settings gear icon and choose Site permissions. 

• Select "Change how members can share", and ensure the last option is selected so that only site owners can share files, folders, or the site. This prevents members from accidentally sharing content or generating links for external users. 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further concern.