OneDrive Access Request Goes to a Former Manager

You try to request access to a file or folder in OneDrive, but the approval request is sent to a former manager who no longer works at your company. This happens because the file owner’s direct manager was set in the past and has not been updated in the Microsoft 365 directory. This article explains why OneDrive routes access requests to the file owner’s manager, how to update the manager field in Microsoft Entra ID, and what to do when the former manager cannot approve the request.

Why OneDrive Sends Access Requests to the File Owner’s Manager

When you request access to a file or folder in OneDrive, the system checks the owner’s user profile in Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory. OneDrive uses the Manager attribute from the owner’s profile to determine who receives the approval email. If the Manager field still lists a former manager, all access requests go to that person.

This behavior is by design. OneDrive does not look at the organizational chart or the current reporting structure dynamically. It relies solely on the static Manager field stored in the directory. When a manager leaves the company, the HR or IT department must update the Manager field for each direct report. If this step is missed, access requests continue to go to the former manager’s mailbox, which may be disabled or unmonitored.

Another common cause is that the file owner’s account was created with an incorrect Manager value during onboarding and was never corrected. In some cases, a former manager may have been deleted from the directory, causing the request to fail or bounce.

Steps to Redirect OneDrive Access Requests to the Correct Person

You can resolve this issue in three ways. The best long-term solution is to update the Manager field in Microsoft Entra ID. The file owner can also set a custom approver in OneDrive sharing settings. As a last resort, an admin can disable access requests for the whole tenant.

Method 1: Update the File Owner’s Manager in Microsoft Entra ID

This method requires Global Administrator or User Administrator permissions in Microsoft 365.

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center
   Go to https://entra.microsoft.com and sign in with an admin account.
2. Open the user management page
   In the left navigation, select Identity then Users then All users.
3. Find the file owner
   Search for the user who owns the OneDrive folder or file that is generating the wrong access request.
4. Edit the Manager field
   Click the user’s display name, then select Properties. Scroll to the Manager section and click Edit. Type the name of the current manager and select the correct user from the list. Click Save.
5. Wait for directory sync
   Changes take effect in OneDrive within 30 minutes. You can force a sync by asking the file owner to sign out and sign back into OneDrive.

Method 2: File Owner Sets a Custom Approver in OneDrive Sharing

This method works for individual files or folders and does not require admin privileges.

1. Open OneDrive in a browser
   Go to https://onedrive.live.com and sign in as the file owner.
2. Navigate to the file or folder
   Locate the item that is receiving access requests.
3. Open sharing settings
   Right-click the item and select Share. In the sharing dialog, click the gear icon for Link settings.
4. Set a custom approver
   Under Access requests, select Send requests to a specific person. Enter the email address of the person who should approve requests. This can be the current manager, a team lead, or anyone else.
5. Save the settings
   Click Apply and then Send if you are sharing the link, or close the dialog. Future access requests will go to the specified email address.

Method 3: Disable Access Requests Tenant-Wide

If the org structure changes frequently, an admin may prefer to disable access requests entirely. Users will then need to request access by emailing the file owner directly.

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center
   Go to https://admin.microsoft.com and sign in as a Global Administrator.
2. Go to Org settings
   In the left navigation, select Settings then Org settings.
3. Find the OneDrive setting
   On the Services tab, scroll to OneDrive and click it.
4. Turn off access requests
   In the OneDrive settings panel, clear the checkbox for Let users request access to files and folders. Click Save.

If OneDrive Still Sends Requests to the Former Manager

Access requests bounce back as undeliverable

If the former manager’s mailbox no longer exists, the access request email will fail to deliver. The requesting user sees an error message stating that the request could not be sent. To fix this, update the Manager field in Microsoft Entra ID as described in Method 1. If the former manager’s user account has been deleted, you must assign a new manager to the file owner. The request will then route to the new manager.

Access requests go to a distribution group instead of a person

OneDrive can send access requests to a distribution group if the Manager field contains a group address. This is not a supported configuration. The request may be lost or delayed. Remove the group address from the Manager field and enter an individual user. Alternatively, the file owner can set a custom approver in the sharing settings.

Only some files send requests to the former manager

This happens when the files are owned by different users. Each user’s Manager field must be updated individually. Use Microsoft Entra ID to bulk update the Manager attribute for all users who report to the same former manager. You can do this by exporting the user list, editing the CSV file, and importing it back into Microsoft Entra ID.

OneDrive Access Request Routing: Manager vs Custom Approver

Item	Manager Field in Entra ID	Custom Approver in OneDrive
Scope	All files and folders owned by the user	Single file or folder
Who can set it	Admin with User Administrator role	File owner
Update speed	Up to 30 minutes	Immediate
Survives user rehire	Yes, if Manager field is updated	No, must be reconfigured
Best for	Permanent org structure	Project-specific or temporary sharing

OneDrive access request routing depends on the Manager attribute in Microsoft Entra ID. Updating this field is the most reliable way to ensure requests go to the correct person. File owners can set a custom approver for individual items as a quick workaround. Admins can disable the feature at the tenant level if the org structure changes too often to maintain. Always verify that the Manager field is current after any organizational change.