Changes to how we share files in Office 365

IT Services is changing the way permission levels are set in Office 365 to make file sharing more secure.

Currently, when sharing files from Office 365, OneDrive, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, the default permission level when sharing that file is set to ‘anyone’. This means that anyone, anywhere in the world who happens to receive the link to your file can access, edit, download, copy and share that file. 

In most cases, sharing a file that anyone can access represents a security risk and we would never normally recommend doing so.

On Friday 1 May, IT Services will change the default permission level to ‘specific people’.

This means that only people you specifically name will be able to access that file regardless of who has the actual link to that file. When sharing a file, you will now need to enter the name or email address of the people with whom you want to share the file. 

The other permission levels – ‘anyone’ and ‘only LJMU staff’ are still available to you - but you will need to specifically change the sharing permissions to use these options. In normal circumstances, ITS does not recommend using either of these settings and you should have a clear and justifiable rationale for doing so.

More information and training

You can find out more about how to share a file in this ITS user guide.

IT Services is also delivering online training sessions on 5 May, 19 May and 2 June, at which you can learn more about sharing files and documents in OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. 

To book your place, select the IT Service Training Calendar and choose one of the Sharing Data Securely sessions.

If you have any questions, you can contact the IT Service desk via LJMU Assist or by ringing extension 5555.