SharePoint Request files is the built-in way to collect files from other people. You pick a folder, choose Request files and share the link. People upload without signing in, and they can't see what's already in the folder.
But it only works when your admin allows Anyone links, the public links that open without signing in. In Microsoft's words, "Disabling Anyone links also disables Request files on SharePoint and OneDrive." Your admin can switch these links off, and Microsoft's own Copilot setup guidance tells admins to disable or restrict them.
If yours are off, or you need more than an upload box, there's File Request Pro. It doesn't use public links, and the files end up in the SharePoint folder you choose. It also adds what Request files leaves out: a form, a list of the documents you need from each client, and reminders until everything is in. For Microsoft's own workarounds, skip to the options.
How to request files in SharePoint
- Open the document library and select the folder where you want the files to go.
- Select Request files.
- Name what you need, for example "Signed engagement letter, 2026", then select Next.
- Copy the link, or enter email addresses and add a short message.
- Select Done.
Admin turned off public links? File Request Pro saves uploads into the same SharePoint folder without them. See how uploads reach SharePoint.
What uploaders see, and what you get
The uploader opens the link, picks their files and uploads them. If they aren't signed in, Microsoft asks for a first and last name so you can tell uploads apart. Microsoft doesn't check that name, so don't treat it as proof of who sent the file. If they are signed in, their account is recorded instead.
- Uploaders can't open, edit, delete or download anything in the folder, and they can't see who else has uploaded.
- You get an email each time someone uploads.
- Each file name gets a prefix that shows who uploaded it.
- If two files have the same name, the second one gets a number added.
How to stop a file request
Select the folder, open Manage access, find the request link under the links that give access, and select Delete link. Anyone holding the link can no longer upload. Admins can also make every request link expire after a set number of days (see the settings below).
Why Request files depends on Anyone links
A Request files link works as an Anyone link with upload permission. Anyone links, also called public or anonymous links, work for whoever has them. Microsoft says people using one "don't have to authenticate, and their access can't be audited." They can be forwarded, too, which is why some admins turn them off.
Microsoft's admin documentation lists four more conditions, such as a work or school account and folder links that allow uploads. The troubleshooting list below covers each one and who can change it.
Microsoft's Copilot advice can be another reason they're off. Its guidance for preparing a tenant for Copilot tells admins to "disable or restrict use of company-wide sharing groups and Anyone links at the tenant level." If an admin follows that advice by turning Anyone links off, Request files goes too.
Restricting them instead, for example by limiting folder links to View and upload, leaves Request files working. If your organization is getting ready for Copilot and the button has disappeared, ask your admin whether Anyone links were turned off.
The admin settings that control it
For admins, these are the PowerShell settings from Microsoft's documentation. They run in the SharePoint Online Management Shell:
- SharePoint, whole tenant:
Set-SPOTenant -CoreRequestFiles, with an optional expiry inLinkEnabled $True -CoreRequestFiles.LinkExpirationInDays - OneDrive, whole tenant:
Set-SPOTenant -OneDriveRequestFiles, with an optional expiry inLinkEnabled $True -OneDriveRequestFiles.LinkExpirationInDays - One site:
Set-SPOSite -RequestFiles, with an optional expiry inLinkEnabled $True -RequestFiles.LinkExpirationInDays
Request files missing or greyed out?
When the button is missing or greyed out, one of these is usually behind it:
- You're signed in with a personal account. Request files only exists in OneDrive for work or school and SharePoint, so switch to your work account.
- Anyone links are off for the organization or for this site. Your SharePoint admin allows them in the SharePoint admin center (Policies > Sharing) and in the site's sharing settings. A site can be stricter than the organization, so check both.
- Anyone links on folders are view-only. Your admin sets the folder permission for Anyone links to View, edit, and upload or View and upload, for the organization or as a site override.
- Allow only specific security groups is on. Your admin turns it off under More external sharing settings, on the same Sharing page.
- Request files is switched off in PowerShell. Your admin sets the tenant or site setting to
$Truewith the commands above. - Your tenant is Office 365 operated by 21Vianet or Office 365 Germany. Request files isn't available there, so use one of the options below.
The first fix is yours. Everything else is a setting only your admin can change, so send them this list.
Options when Anyone links are off
If your admin won't turn Anyone links back on, Microsoft has three other routes. Each one gives something up compared with Request files. Outside Microsoft, there's File Request Pro, covered after these three.
Guest access (Specific people links)
You share the folder with each person using a Specific people link, with edit permission so they can upload. The link only works for the person you named. Depending on your settings, they prove it's them by signing in or by entering a one-time code sent to their email. External sharing for guests has to be on for the site.
- Setup is per person. Fifty clients means fifty invitations.
- Guests get the whole folder. With edit permission they can see, download and delete other files in it, so give each person their own folder.
- Each guest gets an account in your directory, and someone has to remove them when the work is done.
Guest access suits a few known partners who need to work in a folder with you. For one-way uploads from many people, it's a lot of overhead.
Microsoft Forms with Power Automate
Microsoft Forms has a file upload question, but it won't help with outsiders. Microsoft says file upload is "only available when 'Only people in my organization can respond' or 'Specific people in my organization can respond' is the selected setting."
Where the files go depends on who owns the form. A group form saves them in the group's SharePoint site, so no flow is needed. A form you own saves them in your OneDrive for work or school, and a Power Automate flow has to copy them to SharePoint. Either way, each question takes up to 10 files.
That works well inside your organization, for example staff sending receipts or signed forms to a SharePoint library. Our guides on sharing Microsoft Forms with external users and the Microsoft Forms file upload question cover the limits in detail.
OneDrive Request files
OneDrive has the same Request files feature and the same Anyone-link requirement. If Anyone links are off for the whole tenant, OneDrive requests are off too. It only helps when one SharePoint site is locked down and OneDrive still allows Anyone links.
Uploads land in your OneDrive. To get them into SharePoint, move them by hand or use Power Automate. The flow starts with the OneDrive for Business trigger "When a file is created" and runs the SharePoint action "Create file".
The trigger has a limit, though. Microsoft says it "will skip every file bigger than 50 MB," so check the OneDrive folder now and then for anything the flow missed. Our guide to OneDrive file requests has more.
What File Request Pro does that Request files doesn't
Request files collects a name and some files, and if that's all you need, it's free. File Request Pro turns that upload box into a proper document request, and it saves into the same SharePoint folder whether or not your admin allows Anyone links.
| SharePoint Request files | File Request Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone links turned off | Stops working | Keeps working. It uses no Anyone links and no guest accounts |
| What uploaders see | Microsoft's upload box, no sign-in needed. They can't see what's in the folder | Your own upload page, no sign-in needed. They never see the folder or the site |
| Questions next to the upload | None. You get a name and the files | Your own form fields, such as a client number, a document type or notes |
| The documents you need from each person | One link for everyone, with no list of documents per person | A request for each person that lists the documents you need from them |
| Follow-up | None. You chase people yourself | Reminder emails on your schedule that stop once every required document is in |
| Due dates | None. At most, the link has an expiry date | Requests still open after the due date show as overdue |
| How files are sorted | All in one folder, with the uploader's name added to each file name | Optional subfolders named from the uploader's answers, such as the client name |
| Your branding | Microsoft's page | Your logo and colors on every plan, custom CSS on Team and up, your own domain on Enterprise |
| Where files can go | The SharePoint or OneDrive folder you picked | SharePoint on Pro and up. OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox on every plan |
| What it needs from your admin | Anyone links on, with upload permission for folders, and Request files switched on | Usually a one-time approval of the app. Microsoft's default settings don't let users approve SharePoint access themselves |
| Cost | Included in Microsoft 365 | SharePoint from $79 a month (Pro plan) |
What your IT team will want to know:
- File Request Pro connects to SharePoint with delegated access (the Microsoft Graph permission
Sites.ReadWrite.All). Microsoft's default consent settings don't let users approve that permission on their own, so an admin usually approves the app once. - Files pass through File Request Pro's storage on the way to SharePoint. On the Team and Enterprise plans, Pipeline mode deletes our copy once the file is in SharePoint.
See how File Request Pro connects to SharePoint and OneDrive.
SharePoint Request files compared with the alternatives
| Option | Who can upload | Where files land, cost and the catch |
|---|---|---|
| SharePoint Request files | Anyone with the link, if Anyone links are on | Your SharePoint folder. Included in Microsoft 365. Names aren't verified, and there are no form fields or reminders. |
| OneDrive Request files | The same: Anyone links must be on | Your OneDrive. Move files to SharePoint by hand or with a flow, which skips files over 50 MB. Included in Microsoft 365. |
| Guest access (Specific people link) | Named guests who sign in or enter a one-time code | Your SharePoint folder. Included in Microsoft 365. One invitation per person. With edit permission, guests can see and delete other files. |
| Microsoft Forms + Power Automate | Only people in your organization | Group forms: the group's SharePoint site. Your own forms: your OneDrive, then a flow. Included (standard connectors). Up to 10 files per question. |
| File Request Pro | Anyone with your link, without a Microsoft account | Your SharePoint folder, after passing through File Request Pro's storage (Pipeline mode, Team and up, deletes our copy after it syncs). From $79 a month (Pro). Your admin will usually need to approve the app once. |
Which one to use:
- Your admin allows Anyone links and a name plus a file is enough: use SharePoint Request files.
- Only one SharePoint site is locked down and you don't mind moving files afterwards: OneDrive Request files will do.
- A few known partners need to work in the folder with you: guest access.
- The people sending files are inside your organization and need to answer questions too: Microsoft Forms and Power Automate.
- Anyone links are off, or you're chasing clients for a list of documents: File Request Pro.
SharePoint file request FAQ
Does SharePoint have a file request feature?
Yes. It's called Request files. It works when your admin allows Anyone links with upload permission and the Request files setting is on for the tenant and the site.
Does SharePoint Request files need public links?
Yes. Every Request files link works as an Anyone link, the public kind that opens without signing in. If your admin turns Anyone links off, Request files stops working in both SharePoint and OneDrive. File Request Pro doesn't use them, so people can still upload on a page you share and the files land in your SharePoint folder.
Can external users upload files to SharePoint without a Microsoft account?
Yes, with Request files, as long as Anyone links (public or anonymous links) are on. They type their name and upload. If the links are off, Microsoft's built-in route is guest access, which means signing in or entering a one-time code. File Request Pro lets them upload without an account and saves the files into SharePoint.
Can uploaders see other files in the folder?
With Request files, no: the link is upload-only. With guest access and edit permission, yes: guests can see, download and delete what's already there. With File Request Pro, uploaders only see their own upload page.
How do I move files from OneDrive to SharePoint automatically?
Build a Power Automate flow with the OneDrive for Business trigger "When a file is created" and the SharePoint action "Create file". Point the trigger at the folder your request uploads to and the action at your SharePoint library. Add the OneDrive "Delete file" action at the end if you don't want to keep the OneDrive copy. The trigger skips files over 50 MB, so move large uploads by hand.
Can I brand the upload page?
Not with Request files. The upload page carries Microsoft's branding. Microsoft Forms lets you pick a theme.
What is the file size limit for SharePoint uploads?
Microsoft allows files up to 250 GB each in SharePoint document libraries and OneDrive. SharePoint storage is shared across the organization: 1 TB plus 10 GB per license on most business plans.
Where to start
Select a folder in SharePoint and look for Request files. If it's there and all you need is the files, use it. It's free, and uploads go straight into SharePoint.
If the button is missing, send your admin the troubleshooting list above.
If public links are staying off, or you're collecting several documents from each client and don't want to chase them, File Request Pro is built for that. Saving to SharePoint is on the Pro plan ($79 a month) and up. Compare plans and start a free trial (15 days or 25 files, no credit card required).
More SharePoint guides: how to add a form to a SharePoint page, and whether you can build a customer portal with SharePoint.
