Send SharePoint Items in Outlook - Encrypted File Transfers

Owned by Dan Jakubiak
Last updated: Aug 18, 2023
3 min read

The Outlook App is in the process of updating its user interface. The buttons you see in the app may differ from the screenshots on this page.

UConn faculty and staff can send items in their SharePoint to other members of the university quickly and securely by using Outlook.

This method of sharing generates a link to the item, it does not send the recipient(s) the file itself. Creating a link ensure the file remains encrypted; the recipient will need to sign into their Microsoft account in order to view/edit the item. When the user opens the file, you are both editing the same file while changes are saved to your SharePoint. If you are working on a Microsoft365 file at the same time, you will see updates from each user as they are typed.

Visit this guide to learn how to attach your SharePoint item to the email instead:

When composing an email in Outlook, you can include files stored in SharePoint without having to download them onto your computer.

  1. Open the Outlook application on your computer or visit outlook.office.com.

  2. Click New Email.

  3. Compose your email as you normally would.

  4. Click Attach File.

    1. If you do not see this button, click on the Insert tab in the top ribbon. Then choose Attach File.

  5. Click Browse Web Locations.

    click browse web locations

  6. Select the appropriate Site to share from.

    1. If you have multiple Sites listed and are unsure of which is which, click on one of them and you will see the recently accessed files on that Site. That should help you narrow down which is which.

  7. Wait a second for a popup window to appear.

  8. In the popup window, find the file you wish to share and select it by clicking on the file once and then clicking on Open.

  9. Click Insert.

  10. Choose Share link to maintain encryption on the file. 

  11. If you want to manage the access level to the shared file, click the down arrow next to a shared file.

  12. Choose your desired level of access.

    1. Anyone - anyone

    2. Organization - only those who are a part of the University (have a NetID)

    3. Recipients - only those who receive this original email

  13. Send the email.