How do I stop other accounts from sharing files to me in OneDrive

Question

How do I stop other accounts from sharing files to me in OneDrive

Ville 105

Hi,

Yesterday I got notification in OneDrive app that someone shared a file with me, which was a PDF file that felt like malware or a virus (I didn't open the file). I reported the file, the account got banned but today I started to get more file share spam from multiple accounts. I'm wondering if I can somehow disable receiving files from other people on OneDrive temporarily because this is really annoying.

Thanks in advance,

Ville

Justin L 5 Reputation points

2026-01-07T12:27:05.8233333+00:00

I can't even delete the files. Are there any plans to make it so I can stop people from sharing files to me or am I going to have to switch to google drive ? This is ridiculous. I'm getting porn ads. I hope you get class actioned.
Edwart Widianta 0 Reputation points

2026-01-19T08:58:55.18+00:00

I have same issue. Delete and report concern but when I refresh browser it come up again. Very frustating! Here is the screen shot

Answer accepted by question author

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Justin L 5 Reputation points

2026-01-07T12:27:05.8233333+00:00

I can't even delete the files. Are there any plans to make it so I can stop people from sharing files to me or am I going to have to switch to google drive ? This is ridiculous. I'm getting porn ads. I hope you get class actioned.
Edwart Widianta 0 Reputation points

2026-01-19T08:58:55.18+00:00

I have same issue. Delete and report concern but when I refresh browser it come up again. Very frustating! Here is the screen shot

Answer 1

Carlo Luna 6,880 Independent Advisor

Hi Ville,

Thanks for reaching out. I understand how frustrating it is to receive unwanted or suspicious file shares. You did the right thing by not opening the file and reporting it. While OneDrive doesn’t have a single option to block all incoming shares, there are steps you can take to reduce the impact.

First, you can turn off share notifications in OneDrive settings. This won’t stop people from sharing files, but it will prevent those alerts from popping up and distracting you.

Second, remove any unwanted shared files from your “Shared with me” section and use the “Report abuse” option when you do. This helps keep your view clean and signals Microsoft to take action against spammers.

Third, block the sender’s email address in Outlook or your Microsoft account. This will stop email notifications from those accounts and reduce spam exposure.

Last, if you’re using a work or school account, ask your admin to review external sharing settings in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. They can restrict or disable external sharing entirely, which is the most effective solution in organizational environments.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please let me know if you have any further questions If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer".

Regards,

Carlo

Ville 105 Reputation points

2025-12-11T21:41:22.1666667+00:00

Hi Carlo,

Thanks for the answer. I'm gonna just turn off the OneDrive notification for a while and see if the situation resolves on it's own.

It's a real bummer that there's no option to stop people from sharing files to you, I would really love to see that implemented because it's a huge security risk.
Scott Huish 10 Reputation points

2025-12-16T00:42:20.11+00:00

This doesn't help because it doesn't show the sender's email address in OneDrive. The files also never hide. It just shows an error Couldn't remove file from shared list. The Provided Item ID is not valid
Josh 5 Reputation points

2025-12-18T09:08:10.05+00:00

How do you permanently delete the shared file from the shared section of your Onedrive account? When you select the file there isn't a delete option in the toolbar at the top, and there isn't a delete option when you click the three dots beside the file.
josemia 0 Reputation points

2025-12-24T15:37:40.5333333+00:00

This is a real issue, I am getting an average of twenty files on my OneDrive everyday, it seems Microsoft is not interested in resolving this issue.
Teo Zarque 5 Reputation points

2025-12-25T15:03:19.6433333+00:00

Once more Microsoft doesn't care but will when it becomes an epidemic. I can't believe there are no options in OneDrive like delete file or stop sharing or opt-out of sharing...not even antivirus check, at least not that I'm aware of! This is sickening, so many files every day and I'm supposed to spend time of my day to report each and every one of them and then delete them...which I can't even DO!!! They're either non-reportable (for lack of a better word) or there's some error when I try to delete something!!!
Teo Zarque 5 Reputation points

2026-01-10T11:25:39.2933333+00:00

OneDrive sucks... I'm really disappointed at how Microsoft doesn't do anything for those senders and/or add a damn line of code so we can at least block them after reporting them! It's outrageous!
Mike Hodgkins 5 Reputation points

2026-01-23T10:55:30.6733333+00:00

I have the same problem. I've started trying to delete several hundred unwanted files but it is very time-consuming, and a small number of files come up with a 'cant delete' message. This seems to be a problem at a scale that needs system capability to do the deletions in bulk. Does anyone know if Microsoft are working on such a solution? If they aren't, they should be.

jens-erik agerbo 5

It's bad that you have an expensive paid product and you can't exclude who puts something on your drive 😒

Grant 0 Reputation points

2026-02-15T10:38:05.72+00:00

I'm getting the same thing. Multiple shared SPAM files daily and I don't have the time to hide from shared and report a concern as it seems Microsoft is doing nothing to help. What is the plan Microsoft? Is there one?
Vikki Brannagan 5 Reputation points

2026-03-11T11:30:30.1133333+00:00

This is useless information. Doesn't work. What is the point in reporting as spam or reporting a concern when you do absolutely nothing? Also, even hiding it from shared folder does nothing because it restores itself!
jens-erik agerbo 5 Reputation points

2026-03-11T11:35:23.7333333+00:00

They dont giv a s....

Answer 2

T 10

This is an utter joke and Microsoft need to pull their finger out to sort it.

I am getting hundreds of spam shared documents that I dont want and have to go throughj one by one, and then many re-appear.

We need to be able to accpet or block shared files before they land in out accounts.

Terrible!

jens-erik agerbo 5 Reputation points

2026-03-07T11:52:53.0366667+00:00

It A ms issue. And schould fix it
ny 5 Reputation points

2026-03-09T23:34:09.97+00:00

Total agreement. It is ridiculous that Microsoft has not stopped this nonsense.

Answer 3

Mark RPM 0

I'm having the same issues and to say just delete them is utter rubbish, as you can only block and delete one at a time. And to report them, well it gets to about 15 of them and it seems like that is the limit.

So you're saying that anyone can send me spam and hundreds at a time, yet for my own account I have no control over what I get, this is pretty poor form by the most modern tech firm in the world

Answer 4

DEREK ADKINS 0

I have the same problem, and it would be nice if the multiselect option allowed the Report and Hide options to still be available.

To report and hide these one at a time is a huge inconvenience. Especially since I'm getting 10 - 20 of these spam shared files each day.

C'mon Microsoft. Do something about this already.

Mike Hodgkins 5 Reputation points

2026-01-31T14:48:04.1266667+00:00

Derek, I have spent an age going through the 'report and hide' process on OneDrive and feel I've totally wasted my time. It looks like all the files I thought I had hidden have reappeared. From my point of view Microsoft have a fundamental design gap in OneDrive. Why don't I, as the owner of my instance of Onedrive, have the ability to accept or reject an offer to share a file with me, ideally building a 'white' list as I go? This feels like a key design requirement.
Philip Jenkinson 5 Reputation points

2026-02-22T08:08:38.15+00:00

I have the same issue, seems to have started 26th December, I wrote a script to go through and hide and report them but when you refresh the page they all come back.

This is potentially a serious security breach for personal users, if Microsoft aren't aware and doing something to address this then it is very poor for a multi billion dollar company.
Edwart Widianta 0 Reputation points

2026-02-22T08:25:27.4633333+00:00

Yes, it is suck! Especially before that they increase family subscription fee by 31% last year.

Answer 5

To stop receiving files shared by others in OneDrive, you can adjust your sharing settings. However, there isn't a direct option to completely disable file sharing notifications or incoming shares from other accounts. Here are some steps you can take:

Report Spam: Continue to report any spam or suspicious files you receive. This helps Microsoft take action against malicious accounts.
Manage External Sharing Settings: As a global or SharePoint admin in Microsoft 365, you can manage external sharing settings to limit who can share files with you. However, this may require admin permissions.
Block Specific Users: If you are receiving files from specific users, you can block those users in your Microsoft account settings.
Adjust Notification Settings: You can manage notifications in OneDrive settings to reduce alerts about shared files, but this won't stop the files from being shared.

Unfortunately, if you are not an admin, your options may be limited to reporting and blocking users. For more comprehensive control, you may need to consult with your organization's IT department if applicable.

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How do I stop other accounts from sharing files to me in OneDrive

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