SharePoint & OneDrive · Sharing & External Access
Sharing Settings Administration
Responsibility profile, not a standalone Microsoft role. Organization and site sharing settings are managed by SharePoint Administrators.
Scope: Organization-wide and site-level sharing settings
Permissions
- Organization sharing - Configure tenant-wide sharing policies
- Site sharing - Set sharing levels for individual sites
- Link settings - Configure anonymous link expiration and permissions
- Domain restrictions - Allow/block specific email domains
- Guest access - Manage guest user policies
Common use cases
- Enabling external collaboration
- Restricting sharing for sensitive sites
- Setting up partner sharing policies
- Compliance-driven sharing restrictions
Best practices
- Start with restrictive settings and relax as needed
- Use domain restrictions for known partners
- Set link expiration for anonymous links
- Monitor sharing reports regularly
Security considerations
- Overly permissive sharing can expose sensitive data
- Anonymous links are accessible by anyone with the link
- Guest users remain in directory until explicitly removed
- Changes affect all new shares immediately
Common questions
When should I assign the Sharing Settings Administration role?
Assign Sharing Settings Administration when you need to: Enabling external collaboration; Restricting sharing for sensitive sites; Setting up partner sharing policies; and Compliance-driven sharing restrictions. It is part of SharePoint & OneDrive and should be granted as a least-privilege alternative to broader roles like Global Administrator.
What can someone with the Sharing Settings Administration role do?
The Sharing Settings Administration role grants permissions including: Organization sharing - Configure tenant-wide sharing policies; Site sharing - Set sharing levels for individual sites; Link settings - Configure anonymous link expiration and permissions; Domain restrictions - Allow/block specific email domains; and Guest access - Manage guest user policies. See the Permissions section above for the full list.
What are the security risks of the Sharing Settings Administration role?
Key considerations when assigning Sharing Settings Administration: Overly permissive sharing can expose sensitive data; Anonymous links are accessible by anyone with the link; Guest users remain in directory until explicitly removed; and Changes affect all new shares immediately. Review the Security considerations section before assignment, and pair with Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time access where possible.