Create a sharing link for a DriveItem

You can use createLink action to share a DriveItem via a sharing link.

The createLink action will create a new sharing link if the specified link type doesn't already exist for the calling application. If a sharing link of the specified type already exists for the app, the existing sharing link will be returned.

DriveItem resources inherit sharing permissions from their ancestors.

Permissions

One of the following permissions is required to call this API. To learn more, including how to choose permissions, see Permissions.

Permission type Permissions (from least to most privileged)
Delegated (work or school account) Files.ReadWrite, Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All
Delegated (personal Microsoft account) Files.ReadWrite, Files.ReadWrite.All
Application Files.ReadWrite.All, Sites.ReadWrite.All

HTTP request

POST /drives/{driveId}/items/{itemId}/createLink
POST /groups/{groupId}/drive/items/{itemId}/createLink
POST /me/drive/items/{itemId}/createLink
POST /sites/{siteId}/drive/items/{itemId}/createLink
POST /users/{userId}/drive/items/{itemId}/createLink

Request body

The body of the request defines properties of the sharing link your application is requesting. The request should be a JSON object with the following properties.

Name Type Description
type string The type of sharing link to create. Either view, edit, or embed.
scope string Optional. The scope of link to create. Either anonymous or organization.

The following values are allowed for the type parameter.

Type value Description
view Creates a read-only link to the DriveItem.
edit Creates a read-write link to the DriveItem.
embed Creates an embeddable link to the DriveItem. This option is only available for files in OneDrive personal.

Scope types

The following values are allowed for the scope parameter. If the scope parameter is not specified, the default link type for the organization is created.

Value Description
anonymous Anyone with the link has access, without needing to sign in. This may include people outside of your organization. Anonymous link support may be disabled by an administrator.
organization Anyone signed into your organization (tenant) can use the link to get access. Only available in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint.

Response

If successful, this method returns a single Permission resource in the response body that represents the requested sharing permissions.

The response will be 201 Created if a new sharing link is created for the item or 200 OK if an existing link is returned.

Example

The following example requests a sharing link to be created for the DriveItem specified by {itemId} in the user's OneDrive. The sharing link is configured to be read-only and usable by anyone with the link.

Request

POST /me/drive/items/{item-id}/createLink
Content-type: application/json

{
  "type": "view",
  "scope": "anonymous"
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "123ABC",
  "roles": ["write"],
  "link": {
    "type": "view",
    "scope": "anonymous",
    "webUrl": "https://1drv.ms/A6913278E564460AA616C71B28AD6EB6",
    "application": {
      "id": "1234",
      "displayName": "Sample Application"
    },
  }
}

OneDrive for Business and SharePoint support company sharable links. These are similar to anonymous links, except they only work for members of the owning organization. To create a company sharable link, use the scope parameter with a value of organization.

Request

POST /me/drive/items/{item-id}/createLink
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "type": "edit",
  "scope": "organization"
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "123ABC",
  "roles": ["write"],
  "link": {
    "type": "edit",
    "scope": "organization",
    "webUrl": "https://contoso-my.sharepoint.com/personal/ellen_contoso_com/...",
    "application": {
      "id": "1234",
      "displayName": "Sample Application"
    },
  }
}

When using the embed link type, the webUrl returned can be embedded in an <iframe> HTML element. When an embed link is created the webHtml property contains the HTML code for an <iframe> to host the content.

Note: Embed links are only supported for OneDrive personal.

Request

POST /me/drive/items/{item-id}/createLink
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "type": "embed"
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "id": "123ABC",
  "roles": ["read"],
  "link": {
    "type": "embed",
    "webHtml": "<IFRAME src=\"https://onedrive.live.com/...\"></IFRAME>",
    "webUrl": "https://onedive.live.com/...",
    "application": {
      "id": "1234",
      "displayName": "Sample Application"
    },
  }
}

Remarks

  • Links created using this action do not expire unless a default expiration policy is enforced for the organization.
  • Links are visible in the sharing permissions for the item and can be removed by an owner of the item.
  • Links always point to the current version of a item unless the item is checked out (SharePoint only).