SharePoint: Add Users as Visitors

In order to restrict SharePoint site members from seeing certain files, ITS recommends that you add “restricted” users as Visitors.

Overview

• In this guide, we will use the “Share” function to grant access to the SharePoint site.

• Users with unrestricted access will be added with Edit privilege.

• Users with restricted access will be added with Read privilege, which puts them in the “Visitor” role. This is a View-Only role.

• Visitors will need to be manually given Edit access to the folders in which they should be allowed edits.

• Note: Sites as a whole are Private by default; other university members cannot happen upon the site and become a “Visitor”.

Add a User with edit privilege

1. Navigate to s.uconn.edu/sharepoint and click on your SharePoint site.

2. Click on the Share button near the top-right corner.

   Open

   

3. Type in the name(s) of the user(s) you would like to add and change their access level to Edit.
   You may also set their access level to Full control if you would like this user to add others to the site.

   Open

   

   Be sure to send them an email in order to provide them a link to the site!

4. Click Share.

Add a User as a Visitor

1. Navigate to s.uconn.edu/sharepoint and click on your SharePoint site.

2. Click on the Share button near the top-right corner.

3. Type in the name(s) of the user(s) you would like to add, and leave the default Read access level as it is.

   Be sure to send them an email in order to provide them a link to the SharePoint!

4. Click Share.

5. Return to the Documents section of the site. This is the section that contains all of your files/folders.

Manage Access to a Folder

Remove Access from Sensitive Folders

1. Now that you have two discrete user groups, find the folder that you do not want the Visitors to see.

2. Right-click, or click on the ellipsis, and then click on Manage access.
   Right now, the Visitors may view this folder, but they cannot make changes to the files or the folder itself. We’re going to remove the Visitors' view privilege.

3. In the popup window, find the [SharePoint Name] Visitors group.

4. Click on the pencil icon on the right-side of the window. Click on it and then choose Stop Sharing.
   This action is reversable if you change your mind in the future. To re-add Visitors to this folder, follow this guide to the end.

5. Not only can Visitors not edit this folder and its contents, but now they can no longer see this folder and its contents. Close the popup window.

Add Visitor Access to appropriate Folders

1. Looking at the list of folders in the Documents section, find a folder that Visitors should be able to edit.

2. Again, right-click, or click on the ellipsis, and then click on Manage access.

3. In the popup window, find the [SharePoint Name] Visitors group.

4. Click on the pencil icon on the right-side of the window and choose Can edit.

Adding Visitors to a folder in which they were previously removed

Follow these instructions if the Visitor user group should gain Edit or View access after they previously had their view privilege removed.

1. Looking at the list of folders in the Documents section, again right-click, or click on the ellipsis, and then click on Manage access.

2. In the “Direct access” box, click on the plus sign.

3. Search for “[SharePoint site name] visitors”. In the example screenshot below, the site name is “Dan Tester”

4. Click on the group that you would like to add, in this case we are re-adding Visitors.

5. Click on the pencil icon to set their access level.
   You may choose to notify the users, but it may not be necessary since they have likely already accessed the site.

6. Click Grant access to finalize your change.

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