Sharing Multiple Loop Components in OneNote

Question

I work for a smaller company, and we are trying to organize ourselves in OneNote for our various projects. We set up a workbook that is shared with everyone in the organization, and there are around 35 different sections within this workbook for each of our different projects. Then within those sections, there are pages for notes and Loop Components - mainly the task list components so we can track tasks for every project. The issue is that even though the entire workbook is shared with everyone, it seems like each individual Loop Component has to be shared with everyone, which is a lot of link sharing and notifications when we have over 30 projects. Is there any way to ensure that all the components in a shared workbook are shared with everyone in a simpler fashion then having to share each individual one?

Also, when a coworker is shared and added to the task list, it is only shared as read-only, and I can't find a way to edit the permissions in OneNote. The entire workbook is shared to everyone to edit.

Answer 1

Hi @Jackie,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

According to your concern, this is an expected permission boundary between OneNote notebooks and Loop components. A OneNote notebook can be shared broadly, but a Loop component is backed by its own file (in OneNote, they are stored in the “OneNote Loop Files” folder in the creator’s OneDrive). Then since each component remains a separately shareable object, the option to have all Loop components get shared automatically when sharing the whole notebook is not available up to now.

For this situation, there are two practical approaches:

1/ Create project components in a Teams channel

• Content created in Teams channels is stored in the SharePoint site (channel folder/meetings folder), which typically follows the Team/M365 group membership model.
• You can create the Loop task list component within a Teams channel > copy paste the component link into the OneNote project page.
• Since membership is handled at the group level, you don't need to individually share each component.

2/ Use Loop workspace for projects

• Loop workspaces are a membership container, you can add members once, then paste components into OneNote pages. Once people are added, they can access content created within that shared workspace context.
• I kindly recommend this approach. In your scenario (35 projects, everyone should have access), you can create one Loop workspace for “All Projects” (or one per project if you prefer), add everyone once, then use OneNote as the organized front-end by embedding the components.

For reference:

• Loop components in OneNote
• Overview of Loop components and Loop workspaces permissions | Microsoft Learn
• Overview of Loop storage | Microsoft Learn

Hope my sharing may help. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.    

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

Loop components in OneNote are governed by the sharing model of the underlying .loop files and the Loop/OneDrive/SharePoint permissions, not by the OneNote notebook alone.

Key points from the current behavior and documentation:

1. Notebook access vs. Loop component access
   • Everyone who has access to the OneNote notebook can see and edit Loop components that are already accessible to them.
   • However, Loop components themselves are separate items (stored as .loop files in OneDrive/Loop/SharePoint Embedded), and their sharing can be broader or narrower than the notebook.
   • When OneNote shows a message about sharing a Loop component, it is warning that the component’s link permissions may differ from the organization’s default link configuration or from the notebook’s sharing.
2. No “bulk share all components in a notebook” feature
   • There is no setting in OneNote or Loop that automatically shares every Loop component in a notebook with the same people as the notebook.
   • Each Loop component (task list, table, etc.) is its own shareable object. Permissions are controlled via its share link and the underlying .loop file storage.
3. Why components may show as read-only for coworkers
   • Loop components can be shared via different link types (company-wide vs. people-specific, view vs. edit).
   • If a coworker only has a view permission on the component’s .loop file, they will see it as read-only in OneNote even if the OneNote notebook itself is shared with edit rights.
   • The edit vs. read-only behavior is determined by the Loop component’s own sharing settings, not the notebook’s.
4. Changing permissions for a Loop component
   • Permissions must be adjusted from the Loop component’s own share experience, not from OneNote’s notebook sharing.
   • In OneNote, use the component’s Copy link / share control (or open the component in Loop/Office.com) and adjust the share link so that:
     • The link is set to allow editing, and
     • The link is shared either with the whole organization (if allowed by policy) or with specific people who need edit access.
5. External/guest users (if relevant)
   • External/guest sharing of Loop pages/components is only possible if the organization has external sharing enabled and the guest accounts exist or can be created via B2B.
   • Sharing with guests must be done via “Share with specific people” links; they cannot be added to company-wide links.
6. Practical implications for the described scenario
   • With ~35 project sections and many task-list components, there is currently no built-in way to automatically align all Loop component permissions with the OneNote notebook in one step.
   • To avoid repeated notifications, consider:
     • Using a consistent, organization-wide edit link setting for Loop components where allowed by policy, so new components default to being editable by everyone in the org without per-component invites.
     • When creating components, adjusting the share link once (e.g., “People in your organization with the link can edit”) and then reusing those components or copying them where needed.

In summary, Loop components in OneNote do not inherit full edit permissions from the notebook; each component’s .loop file controls who can edit. There is no bulk sharing mechanism for all components in a notebook, and edit vs. read-only must be managed via each component’s share settings and the organization’s Loop/OneDrive/SharePoint sharing policies.

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References:

• Use Loop components in OneNote
• Get to know Loop components
• Overview of Loop workspaces and Loop components permissions
• Overview of Loop components in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem