A cloud storage link review should find files shared to anyone with the link, determine whether that broad audience is still needed, and verify the effective permission on both the file and its parent folder. Replace public or anonymous links with named access when practical, reduce edit rights, set an expiration where the platform supports it, and test removed links from a signed-out browser.
Build the link inventory
List externally shared files and folders from the storage service's sharing report or owner accounts. Record the item, owner, business purpose, data classification, link type, permission level, creation date if known, expected audience, expiration, and where the link was distributed. Include embedded documents, form response sheets, project folders, downloadable assets, and old links in tickets or chat messages.
Review parent folders as well as individual files. Google explains in its Drive sharing guidance that access applied to a folder is inherited by its contents. Removing a direct file permission may not reduce access when the recipient still has a stronger permission through the parent.
Distinguish link types and actions
Google Drive can grant Viewer, Commenter, or Editor roles and can allow general access to anyone with the link. The same guidance notes that eligible work or school accounts can add an expiration to named access. Record the actual role instead of writing only "shared."
Microsoft's OneDrive sharing guidance distinguishes specific-person access from link sharing and documents edit, download, password, and expiration options that vary by plan and item type. Microsoft also warns that a link that does not require sign-in can be forwarded to other people.
For every broadly shared item, ask whether anonymous access is required. A public brochure may be suitable; a customer list, invoice folder, internal recording, or draft contract usually needs a defined audience. Do not use a password on an anyone-link as a substitute for deciding who should receive the data.
Reduce access in a recoverable order
Confirm the owner and the intended recipients before changing a live collaboration folder. Create the replacement named share first, test it with a representative account, then remove the broader link. Preserve a list of approved partners and notify them when the access method changes.
Reduce edit to view when recipients do not need to alter content. Disable download only when it matches the workflow and platform limitations; screenshots or other copying may still be possible. Use expiration for temporary collaborations, and schedule a review before extending it.
Remove and verify old links
OneDrive's Manage access view shows people, groups, and links that provide access and lets an owner remove a sharing link. Google's sharing dialog lets an owner change general access and manage collaborators. Check every route rather than deleting one link and assuming the file is private.
After removal, open the old URL in a private browsing session where no work account is signed in. Then test with a former recipient account if the organization controls one. Confirm that the replacement audience still works and that the file is not independently published or embedded elsewhere.
Complete the review
- Inventory anyone-links, public files, external recipients, and inherited folder access.
- Record owner, purpose, classification, role, and expiration for each item.
- Replace broad links with named recipients or groups when possible.
- Reduce edit and download rights to what the work requires.
- Remove obsolete links and test the old URL while signed out.
- Check published and embedded copies separately from ordinary sharing.
- Repeat after a project ends, an owner leaves, or a folder changes purpose.
The finished review should leave every broad link with a current reason, accountable owner, narrow permission, and review date. A link is easy to copy and forget, so verification must focus on effective access rather than the message in which it was originally sent.
Sources
- Share files from Google Drive — Google Drive Help
- Share files and folders in Microsoft OneDrive — Microsoft Support