Office 365: Find User Shared Files (OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint)

Aug 15, 2025 by ADMIN 65 views

How to Get All Files Shared With and Shared By a User in Office 365

Introduction

Hey guys! Building a solution to track shared files in Office 365? That’s a fantastic idea! Imagine having a centralized place where users can see all the files shared with them and all the files they've shared with others, regardless of whether it’s through OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint. This article will guide you through the process of fetching this information, providing a comprehensive approach to tackle this task. We'll explore the different Microsoft Graph APIs and SharePoint Online cmdlets that can help you gather the necessary data, and discuss how to consolidate this information into a user-friendly display. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a solid foundation for building your solution and enhancing collaboration within your organization. So, let’s dive in and get started!

Understanding the Challenge

The challenge in gathering all shared files in Office 365 lies in the distributed nature of the data. Files can be shared from various locations such as OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online document libraries, and Microsoft Teams channels. Each of these services has its own sharing mechanisms and permissions models, adding complexity to the task. For instance, a file shared via OneDrive might have a different set of permissions compared to a file shared within a Teams channel. Additionally, different types of sharing links (e.g., direct links, view-only links, edit links, organizational links, anonymous links) further complicate the process. To effectively address this challenge, you need a strategy that covers all potential sources and types of sharing activities, ensuring that no shared file is missed. Using Microsoft Graph API is the best solution for this problem.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, there are a few things you’ll need to have in place:

Office 365 Subscription: Obviously, you need an active Office 365 subscription with the necessary permissions to access user data and SharePoint Online.
SharePoint Online Management Shell: Make sure you have the SharePoint Online Management Shell installed. This allows you to run PowerShell cmdlets to interact with SharePoint Online.
Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK: Ensure you have the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK installed. This will allow you to interact with the Microsoft Graph API.
Permissions: You’ll need the appropriate permissions to access user information and SharePoint resources. This might include User.Read.All, Files.Read.All, Sites.Read.All, and other relevant permissions.

Step-by-Step Guide to Fetch Shared Files

Step 1: Authenticate to Microsoft Graph and SharePoint Online

First, you need to authenticate to both Microsoft Graph and SharePoint Online. Here’s how you can do it using PowerShell:

# Authenticate to Microsoft Graph
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.Read.All", "Files.Read.All", "Sites.Read.All"

# Authenticate to SharePoint Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com" -Interactive

Make sure to replace https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com with your actual SharePoint tenant URL. The -Interactive parameter will prompt you to enter your credentials.

Step 2: Fetch Files Shared By the User

To find files shared by the user, you can use the Microsoft Graph API to search for sharing activities. Here’s a PowerShell snippet to achieve this:

# Get the user's ID
$UserPrincipalName = "[email protected]"
$User = Get-MgUser -Filter "UserPrincipalName eq '$UserPrincipalName'"
$UserId = $User.Id

# Search for sharing activities by the user
$SharedByMe = Get-MgDriveItemSharedWithMe -All -Filter "Owner/Id eq '$UserId'"

# Output the results
$SharedByMe | Select-Object Name, WebUrl, Owner

Replace [email protected] with the actual user's email address. This script fetches all files shared by the specified user and displays their names, URLs, and owners.

Step 3: Fetch Files Shared With the User

To find files shared with the user, you can again leverage the Microsoft Graph API. Here’s how:

# Search for sharing activities with the user
$SharedWithMe = Get-MgDriveItemSharedWithMe -All -Filter "RemoteItem/Shared/Scope eq 'users' and endsWith(RemoteItem/Name, '.docx')"

# Output the results
$SharedWithMe | Select-Object Name, WebUrl, RemoteItem

This script retrieves all files shared with the user, displaying their names, URLs, and remote item details. The filter ensures that only files shared with specific users (not organization-wide links) are included.

Step 4: Fetch Files Shared via SharePoint Online

For files shared through SharePoint Online, you can use the SharePoint Online Management Shell to query sharing information. Here’s an example:

# Get all sharing links for a specific user in SharePoint
$SharingInfo = Get-PnPAuditLogReport -StartDate (Get-Date).AddDays(-30) -EndDate (Get-Date) -Operation "Sharing"

# Filter sharing events for the specific user
$UserSharingEvents = $SharingInfo | Where-Object {$_.UserId -eq $UserPrincipalName}

# Output the results
$UserSharingEvents | Select-Object ItemName, ItemUrl, SourceFileName, EventTime

This script fetches sharing events from the SharePoint audit log for a specific user over the past 30 days, displaying the item name, URL, source file name, and event time.

Step 5: Consolidate the Results

Now that you have fetched the shared files from various sources, the next step is to consolidate the results into a single, unified view. You can combine the results from the Microsoft Graph API and SharePoint Online Management Shell into a single data structure. Here’s an example of how you can do this in PowerShell:

# Combine results from Microsoft Graph and SharePoint Online
$AllSharedFiles = @()

# Add files shared by the user
foreach ($File in $SharedByMe) {
    $AllSharedFiles += [PSCustomObject]@{Source = "OneDrive"; Name = $File.Name; URL = $File.WebUrl; SharedBy = $UserPrincipalName}
}

# Add files shared with the user
foreach ($File in $SharedWithMe) {
    $AllSharedFiles += [PSCustomObject]@{Source = "OneDrive"; Name = $File.Name; URL = $File.WebUrl; SharedWith = $UserPrincipalName}
}

# Add files shared via SharePoint Online
foreach ($Event in $UserSharingEvents) {
    $AllSharedFiles += [PSCustomObject]@{Source = "SharePoint"; Name = $Event.ItemName; URL = $Event.ItemUrl; SharedBy = $UserPrincipalName}
}

# Output the consolidated results
$AllSharedFiles | Sort-Object Name | Format-Table -AutoSize

This script combines the results from OneDrive and SharePoint Online into a single array, $AllSharedFiles, and then displays the consolidated results in a table.

Advanced Tips and Considerations

Handling Permissions

Make sure your script handles permissions correctly. Users should only be able to see files that they have permission to access. Implement checks to ensure that the script respects the existing permissions model.

Dealing with Large Datasets

If you are dealing with a large number of files, consider using pagination to retrieve the results in smaller chunks. This can improve performance and prevent your script from timing out.

Error Handling

Implement robust error handling to catch any exceptions that might occur during the process. Log errors and provide informative messages to the user.

Performance Optimization

Optimize your script for performance by minimizing the number of API calls and using efficient filtering techniques. Cache frequently accessed data to reduce the load on the server.

Auditing and Logging

Consider implementing auditing and logging to track sharing activities and ensure compliance with organizational policies. Store the logs in a secure location and regularly review them for any suspicious activity.

Example Use Case: Building a Web Application

Let’s say you want to build a web application that displays all the files shared with and by a user. You can use the PowerShell script as a backend to fetch the data and then display it in a user-friendly interface. Here’s a high-level overview of how you can do this:

Backend (PowerShell Script): Use the PowerShell script to fetch the shared files and store the results in a database or a JSON file.
Frontend (Web Application): Build a web application using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to display the data. Use a framework like React, Angular, or Vue.js to simplify the development process.
API (REST API): Create a REST API to allow the web application to communicate with the backend. Use a framework like Node.js or ASP.NET Core to build the API.
Authentication: Implement authentication to ensure that only authorized users can access the data. Use a service like Azure Active Directory to manage user identities and permissions.

Conclusion

So, there you have it, folks! Getting all files shared with and by a user in Office 365 can be a bit of a challenge, but with the right approach and tools, it’s definitely achievable. By leveraging the Microsoft Graph API and SharePoint Online Management Shell, you can gather the necessary data and consolidate it into a single, unified view. Remember to handle permissions correctly, optimize for performance, and implement robust error handling. Whether you’re building a simple script or a full-fledged web application, this guide should give you a solid foundation to get started. Happy coding, and may your files always be shared efficiently and securely!