Everyday Computer Skills · Cloud Storage · Lesson 2 of 5

Sharing a File Safely

Share a cloud file with only the right people, and stop sharing when you're done.

Who can open your link

When you share a cloud file, you usually don't send the file itself. You send a link. A link is an address that opens the file in a web browser when someone clicks it.

To share in OneDrive, right-click the file in File Explorer and choose Share. A box opens with your choices.

First, choose who can open the link:

• Anyone with the link. Whoever has the link can open the file. If someone forwards it, the new person can open it too.
• Specific people. Only the people whose email addresses you type in. They may need to sign in to prove who they are.

Next, choose a permission. A permission is what a person is allowed to do with the file.

• Can view lets them look at it, but not change it.
• Can edit lets them change it, and even delete parts of it.

Some services also let you set an expiration date. That is the day the link stops working on its own. In OneDrive, this needs a paid Microsoft 365 plan.

A good rule: share with the fewest people, and the smallest permission, that still gets the job done.

On a Mac, iCloud Drive offers the same ideas. You choose Only invited people or Anyone with the link, and View only or Can make changes.

On the practice computer, click Share on Recital video. Switch to Specific people, set Can view, add an expiration date, and send it to one email.

Stop sharing when you're done

A shared file stays shared until you change it. The link keeps working for months or years unless it has an expiration date.

So it is a good habit to check what you have shared, now and then.

In OneDrive on Windows:

1. Right-click the shared file in File Explorer.
2. Choose Manage access. You see every link and every person who can open it.
3. Remove a person, change Can edit to Can view, or choose Stop sharing to turn off the link.

You can also sign in to the OneDrive website and open Shared. It lists the files you have shared with others.

In Google Drive, open the file's Share box. Under General access, change Anyone with the link to Restricted. Then only the people listed can open it.

One thing to know. Stopping sharing closes the link. It cannot reach into other people's computers. If someone already downloaded a copy, that copy is theirs to keep.

That is why the best protection comes before you share. A few tips:

• Share one file, not a whole folder full of other things.
• Never use an Anyone link for private papers, like tax forms or ID photos.
• Use Can edit only for people who truly need to make changes.