ARCHIVED: In my SharePoint My Site, how can I share documents with only specific people?

Your SharePoint My Site contains a Personal Documents library for storing documents only visible to you, as well as Shared Documents and Shared Pictures libraries. By default, these shared libraries make your files visible to everyone at Indiana University. To share files with only specific people, you must set the proper permissions yourself.

Note: It is not currently possible to share files with users outside of IU.

• Shared folders
• Shared libraries

Shared folders

The preferred method of creating custom permissions for file sharing is to create folders within your Shared Documents library. By default, each folder you create will inherit the permissions of the parent item that contains it, whether it is a library, list, or another folder. UITS does not recommend creating custom sharing permissions within your Personal Documents library; this space is intended for your use only.

To create folders with custom permissions:

1. In your Shared Documents library, click the Documents tab at the top, and select New Folder from the Ribbon.
2. Give the folder a name (e.g., "K201 Group Files"), and click Save.
3. From the list, hover over the title of the folder and click the drop-down arrow to the right. Select Manage Permissions.
4. From the Ribbon, select Stop Inheriting Permissions and click OK to confirm.
5. Check NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users (NT AUTHORITY\authenticated users).
6. Select Remove User Permissions from the Ribbon, and click OK to confirm.
7. From the Ribbon, select Grant Permissions.
8. In the "Select Users" section, under "Users/Groups:", type the IU username(s) of anyone you want to give access to, then use the checkboxes to set the level of permissions. The most common levels are Read, which allows users to view and download your files, and Contribute, which allows users to view, add, update, and delete files from the folder.
9. If you wish to send an email notification to your new users, you may customize a message at the bottom. Be aware that the email will be sent from "SharePoint Administrator" and not from your own email account.
10. Click OK to finish setting permissions and return to your library.

All files and subfolders created within this folder will now be accessible only by you and the users you specified.

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Shared libraries

More advanced SharePoint users may wish to share files by creating an entirely separate library. This allows you to create custom columns specific to each group of people you want to share with. For example, if you share documents as part of a group project, you may want to create a "Due Date" column for those documents. However, that column might not make sense for a different group of documents that you share with other people solely for informational purposes.

In the shared folders method above, the same columns would exist throughout the entire Shared Documents library, including all the folders you created with custom permissions. If you wish to create columns specific to a certain set of shared documents, you must first create a new library. Several different types of libraries exist; the steps below focus on making a new Document Library.

Warning: Beginners to SharePoint should avoid straying from these instructions, as they require interaction with parts of your My Site normally reserved for advanced users. You can cause serious problems with the site by changing settings you are unfamiliar with.

1. Near the upper left corner, click Site Actions, and select New Document Library.
2. Type a name and optional description for the library, fill in the rest of the information it asks for, and click Create.
3. If you are not directed there automatically, select your new document library from the left, and then select the Library tab (under "Library Tools").
4. From the far right side of the Ribbon, click Library Permissions.
5. From the Ribbon, select Stop Inheriting Permissions, and click OK to confirm.
6. Check NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users (NT AUTHORITY\authenticated users).
7. From the Ribbon, select Remove User Permissions, and click OK to confirm.
8. From the Ribbon, select Grant Permissions.
9. In the "Select Users" section, under "Users/Groups:", type the IU username(s) of anyone you want to give access to, then use the checkboxes to set the level of permissions. The most common levels are Read, which allows users to view and download your files, and Contribute, which allows users to view, add, update, and delete files from the library.
10. If you wish to send an email notification to your new users, you may customize a message at the bottom. Be aware that the email will be sent from "SharePoint Administrator" rather than from your email account.
11. Click OK to finish setting permissions, and return to your library.

You have now created an entirely new Document Library, which can be edited and customized like any other library in your My Site. Advanced users can learn more about managing libraries by visiting IU's SharePoint Shepherd's Guide for End Users Wiki.

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