I cannot share a document

Question

I can no longer share directly from a document to another email address

Answer 1

If you're trying to share via email, the problem is likely that you are using New Outlook, which is not MAPI-compliant, so it doesn't integrate with Office programs. If you switch to Classic Outlook, you should be able to share from within Word. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/toggle-out-of-the-new-outlook-for-windows-ec102b39-5727-418e-ae1f-a1805434640c. If you don't see this toggle and can't find Classic Outlook on your system, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/install-or-reinstall-classic-outlook-on-a-windows-pc-5c94902b-31a5-4274-abb0-b07f4661edf5.

Answer 2

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Can you exactly tell me how do you share your document and what kind of error shows up?

Answer 3

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum

Can you exactly tell me how do you share your document and what kind of error shows up?

Answer 4

To share a Word document directly to another email address, use one of these supported methods.

1. Share via a cloud link (recommended)
   1. Save the document to OneDrive or SharePoint.
   2. In Word, select Share (top-right).
   3. Select Link settings and choose the permissions (for example, Specific people, and whether to Allow editing).
   4. Select Apply.
   5. In Name, group or email, type the recipient’s email address.
   6. Add an optional message and select Send.
   This sends an email with a link to the document instead of an attachment.
2. Share an already saved document from OneDrive/SharePoint
   1. Open the document.
   2. Select File > Share > Share with People.
   3. Enter the recipient’s name or email address.
   4. Choose Can Edit or Can View.
   5. Optionally add a message and select Share.
3. If sending as an email attachment fails (MAPI failure) Recent versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint rely on a MAPI‑compliant email client to send files directly as attachments. The New Outlook app is not MAPI‑compliant, so sending directly from Word can fail with errors such as “MAPI failure” or “Unable to share.” To work around this:
   1. Switch Outlook to Classic Outlook (use the toggle in the top-right of Outlook, if available), and set it as the default mail client.
   2. Then, in Word, use Share → choose to send as attachment or use the email option again.
   Alternatively, save the document, open the email app manually, and attach the file from there.

If sharing links that used to work have stopped working, recreate the sharing link from OneDrive or Word using Share → Link settings → Copy Link, then paste the new link into an email.

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References:

• Share your documents
• Share a document using SharePoint or OneDrive
• Share files and folders in Microsoft OneDrive
• I am unable to share my file either as a presentation or document type or pdf type by none of the microsoft office apps (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). It is continuously showing "Mapi Failure" and "Unable to Share" errors. What can I do? - Microsoft Q&A