When you share a OneDrive file or folder with an external user for a legal review, the recipient clicks the link expecting to view the document. Instead, they see a page that says Request Access or Access Denied. This problem occurs because the sharing link permissions are misconfigured or the recipient’s authentication method is blocked by your tenant policies. This article explains why external sharing links redirect to a request access page and provides step-by-step fixes to resolve the issue for legal review scenarios.
Key Takeaways: Fix External Sharing Links That Require Request Access
- Share dialog > Link settings > Anyone with the link: For legal reviews, select this option so external recipients do not need to sign in or request access.
- Microsoft 365 admin center > SharePoint > Sharing: Verify that external sharing is set to Anyone for the specific site or tenant to allow anonymous guest links.
- Azure AD > External Identities > External collaboration settings: Ensure guest invite settings allow external users to access shared content without manual approval.
Why External Sharing Links Redirect to Request Access
When you share a file or folder in OneDrive, you choose a permission level and a recipient type. The link you generate contains an access token that tells the service who can view the content. If the link is configured as Specific people or People in your organization, external users who are not explicitly added as guests will see the Request Access page. This is the default behavior to prevent unauthorized access. For legal reviews, you need to share with Anyone the link, which bypasses authentication and sends the recipient directly to the document.
How the Request Access Flow Works
When an external user clicks a sharing link, OneDrive checks the link type. If the link requires authentication, the service verifies the user’s identity. If the user is not authenticated or is not a guest in your tenant, OneDrive displays the Request Access page. The user must then fill out a form, and a site owner or admin must approve the request. This delay disrupts legal review workflows where immediate access is expected.
Tenant Policies That Block Anonymous Links
Even if you create an Anyone link, your tenant or site sharing policy might block anonymous access. The SharePoint admin center controls external sharing at the organization level and at the site level. If the policy is set to New and existing guests, anonymous links are disabled. Legal review files require the Anyone setting to allow direct access without sign-in.
Steps to Configure External Sharing Links for Legal Reviews
Follow these steps to ensure external users can access shared files without seeing the Request Access page. You must have SharePoint admin or global admin permissions to change tenant-level settings.
Step 1: Verify Tenant External Sharing Setting
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center
Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with an account that has SharePoint admin or global admin rights. - Open the SharePoint admin center
In the left navigation, select Admin centers and then SharePoint. - Go to Policies > Sharing
Under External sharing, select Anyone. This setting allows users to share files and folders with anyone who has the link, without requiring sign-in. - Save the changes
Click Save at the bottom of the page. Wait up to 24 hours for the setting to propagate, or force a refresh by restarting the SharePoint Online Management Shell.
Step 2: Configure Site-Level Sharing for the Legal Review Site
- In the SharePoint admin center, go to Sites > Active sites
Find the OneDrive site or SharePoint site used for legal reviews. - Select the site and open the Settings panel
Click the site name, then in the panel select the Policies tab. - Change the external sharing setting to Anyone
Under External sharing, choose Anyone. This overrides the tenant default for this specific site only. - Click Save
The change applies immediately to new sharing links. Existing links may need to be recreated.
Step 3: Create a New Sharing Link with Anyone Permission
- Open the file or folder in OneDrive
Navigate to the document you want to share for legal review. - Click Share
In the toolbar, select the Share button. - In the Share dialog, click Link settings
Change the link type from Specific people or People in your organization to Anyone with the link. - Set permissions
Choose Can view or Can edit depending on the review role. For legal review, Can view is recommended to prevent accidental changes. - Copy the link and send it to the external reviewer
Click Copy and paste the link into your email or review platform. The recipient will see the document directly without a request access prompt.
Step 4: Verify Azure AD External Collaboration Settings
- Go to Azure AD admin center
Sign in to aad.portal.azure.com with a global admin account. - Select External Identities > External collaboration settings
Under Guest invite settings, ensure Guest users can invite is set to Yes. This allows external users to accept sharing invitations without admin approval. - Save any changes
Click Save. This setting affects how external users are added to the directory when they access shared content.
If External Sharing Links Still Request Access
After configuring the settings above, some users may still see the Request Access page. Check the following scenarios.
OneDrive Site Has a Custom Sharing Policy
If the OneDrive site is part of a sensitivity label or a conditional access policy, the external sharing link might be blocked. Go to Microsoft Purview compliance portal > Information protection > Sensitivity labels and check if the label applied to the file restricts external sharing. Remove the label or change its sharing settings to allow Anyone links.
The Link Was Generated Before Policy Changes
Existing links created with Specific people or People in your organization will not convert to Anyone links automatically. Recreate the sharing link with the Anyone permission as shown in Step 3. Delete the old link to prevent confusion.
External User Is in a Blocked Domain
Your tenant may have a domain allow list or block list configured in Azure AD. Go to Azure AD > External Identities > Cross-tenant access settings and verify that the external user’s domain is not blocked. Add the domain to the allow list if necessary.
Anyone Link vs Specific People Link: Key Differences
| Item | Anyone with the link | Specific people |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication required | No sign-in needed | Must sign in with Microsoft account or work account |
| Request access page | Not shown | Shown if user is not a guest |
| Best for legal reviews | Yes, immediate access | No, requires admin approval |
| Security risk | Higher, link can be forwarded to anyone | Lower, only specified recipients can access |
| Expiration | Can set expiration date in link settings | Can set expiration date in link settings |
Now you can configure external sharing links for legal reviews that send users directly to the document. Start by setting the tenant and site sharing policy to Anyone, then create new links with the Anyone permission. For extra security, set an expiration date on the link in the Share dialog under Link settings.