Try the example, then check the result.
Download the fictional material and follow the steps below. The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. Product controls may vary by version.
Check the answer before applying the method to your own data. How we review guides ↗
Watch the complete lesson.
The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. English captions. Product menus may differ in your account.
This tutorial uses a fictional review agenda to explain a narrow OneDrive sharing setup. The target is Specific people plus Can view. The permission checklist separates selecting controls from confirming actual recipient access, and the answer check summarizes the safe final state. No working OneDrive link or real recipient is contained in the download.
1. Start with a disposable file
If you want to try the workflow in your own OneDrive, upload the fictional agenda to a disposable folder you control. Select that file only. Do not practice on a client file, shared folder, or document that already has complicated access until you understand its current permissions.
2. Inspect the link settings before copying
Choose Share and open Link settings. Microsoft documents choices such as Anyone, People in your organization, People with existing access, and Specific people; the available choices depend on account and organization policy. Choose Specific people for a link limited to the people you identify. An Anyone link has a different audience and can be forwarded.
Set the permission to Can view, or turn off Allow editing when your account uses that control. Check both lines in the final dialog: audience and editing permission. View-only does not necessarily prohibit downloading or copying the contents; a separate block-download option, if available, is a different control.
3. Enter the intended recipient
Use the real address of a reviewer you are authorized to invite. The practice file deliberately does not contain a usable address. Check spelling before Send or Copy link. If you are rehearsing with the fictional file only, stop before either action. Account policy may restrict external recipients.
4. Check the actual grant
After an authorized share, open Manage access for the same file. Confirm the named person or new link and its displayed permission. If the result is consequential, ask the intended recipient to test that they can open it and cannot edit it. A setting in a share dialog alone does not prove the recipient's real experience.
Existing access remains relevant. A new Specific people link does not revoke other links, direct grants, or inherited folder access. Review the full Manage access list before claiming the file is available to only one person.
Common questions
Does Can view stop downloads? Not automatically. Check whether your account offers a separate Block download choice and whether your task needs it.
What if Specific people is unavailable? Organization policy can disable sharing choices. Do not work around those controls; use the permitted route or ask the account administrator.
How do I end the share later? Open the file's Manage access and remove the relevant link or named access after confirming it is the right grant.
Sources and visual evidence
Microsoft's OneDrive sharing guide, external-sharing explanation, and link-audience documentation were checked 13 October 2026. Video panels are illustrative diagrams. This source package has no live share, recipient test, or English app capture.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.