Folders and subfolders sharing

Question

I have a folder, with 5 sub-folders.

If I give access to the 5 sub-folders manually to one person, does it mean this person will be able to go back and see the whole folder?

Or they can still access the 5 sub-folders separately through the links/invite, but they still cannot 'go back' to the main folder?

Thank you

Answer 1

Nope - giving someone access to specific subfolders does not allow them to go back and view the main parent folder. In Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, permissions flow downward from the folder where access is granted; they do not flow upward to parent folders.

The main parent folder remains hidden from the user. They will not be able to see the parent folder name, any other files, or any sibling folders stored alongside the five subfolders they have been granted access to. If they attempt to navigate up to the parent folder level, they will either receive an access denied message or the option to move upward will not be available.

Because they do not have permission to the parent folder, they will not be able to browse to the subfolders through the normal Teams or SharePoint folder structure. Instead, they must access the five shared subfolders through the direct links or sharing invitations provided to them, or through the "Shared with me" section in their OneDrive or SharePoint interface.

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hth

Marcin