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SharePoint file requests

Using SharePoint and OneDrive file requests

SharePoint and OneDrive for Business use the same file request technology. You can collect files from anyone - they don’t need a Microsoft account or access to your SharePoint site. It’s built into Microsoft 365 and works with existing SharePoint permissions.

Prerequisites

  • SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business account
  • Admin must enable file requests
  • “Anyone” link sharing must be allowed in your tenant
  • Not available for Office 365 Germany or 21Vianet

Creating a file request in SharePoint

  1. Go to your document library

    Open the SharePoint site and find the document library where files should land.

  2. Pick or create a folder

    Click the folder that’ll receive uploads, or create a new one.

  3. Open file request

    From the command bar, click Request files.

  4. Configure the request

    In the popup dialog:

    • Enter a name for your request
    • Add instructions about what files you need
    • Review the folder path

  5. Generate the link

    Click Next to get your unique upload link.

  6. Copy and share

    Paste the link into a Tallyfy short text field. You can also email it directly from SharePoint.

  7. Set expiration (optional)

    Admins can configure links to expire after a set number of days (default 30).

Creating a file request in OneDrive

  1. Open OneDrive for Business

    Go to business.onedrive.com and sign in.

  2. Select destination folder

    Choose or create the folder for uploads.

  3. Start file request

    Click the folder, then select Request files from the toolbar.

  4. Add request details

    Name your request and provide instructions.

  5. Copy the link

    Grab the generated link and store it in Tallyfy.

What uploaders see

The experience is simple on purpose:

  1. They click your link and see a clean upload page
  2. SharePoint asks for their first and last name
  3. They select or drag files to upload
  4. Files go directly to your specified folder
  5. They get a confirmation when done

Each uploaded file gets prefixed with the uploader’s name.

Security and compliance

Upload-only access - Users can only add files, not view, edit, or delete existing content.

Audit trails - All uploads are logged in SharePoint’s audit system.

Data location - Files stay in your tenant’s geographic region per data residency settings.

Automatic scanning - Microsoft Defender scans all uploads for malware.

Compliance inheritance - Uploaded files inherit retention policies and sensitivity labels from the destination folder.

Automating with Power Automate

You can automate file request link generation:

Example workflow:
1. Tallyfy triggers Power Automate when a process starts
2. Power Automate creates a new SharePoint folder
3. Generates a file request link for that folder
4. Updates the Tallyfy process with the link via API
5. Sends upload instructions to the recipient

This removes manual link creation while keeping unique upload destinations per process.

Integration patterns for Tallyfy

Department-based collection - Create permanent file request links per department:

  • HR uploads → /HR Submissions/
  • Finance uploads → /Finance Documents/
  • Legal uploads → /Legal Files/

Time-based organization - Generate monthly folders with matching file requests:

  • January → /Uploads/YYYY-01/
  • February → /Uploads/YYYY-02/

Process-specific folders - Create unique folders and file requests per process instance.

Managing file requests

To monitor active file requests:

  1. Go to the SharePoint document library
  2. Click Manage access in the toolbar
  3. View all active file request links
  4. Stop sharing to disable specific links

Your SharePoint admin can also view all file requests across the tenant.

Limitations

Expiration - Links expire based on admin configuration (typically 30 days).

File naming - SharePoint adds the uploader’s name as a prefix. You can’t disable this.

No metadata collection - Unlike Box, you can’t add custom fields to the upload form.

Special characters - Some special characters in filenames may cause upload issues.

Troubleshooting

“This link has expired” - Create a new file request. Links expire after the configured period.

“Access denied” - Your admin may have disabled “Anyone” links. Contact IT to enable file requests.

Large file failures - SharePoint supports files up to 250 GB, but network timeouts may affect very large uploads.

Missing uploads - Check if files landed in a subfolder, or if the uploader’s name prefix is causing confusion.

Alternative - Teams integration

For internal workflows, Teams channels can work too:

  1. Create a Teams channel for document collection
  2. Add a SharePoint library tab
  3. Share the Teams channel link through Tallyfy
  4. Internal users drag and drop files directly

This gives you more collaboration features but requires Teams access.

Admin requirements

If file requests aren’t working, your admin needs to:

  1. Enable “Anyone” links in SharePoint admin center
  2. Set OneDriveRequestFilesLinkEnabled to $true
  3. Set OneDriveRequestFilesLinkExpirationInDays (1-730 days)
  4. Make sure your SharePoint site allows external sharing

File Request Links > Dropbox file requests

Dropbox file requests let anyone upload files directly to your Dropbox folder without needing an account - making them a practical way to collect documents within Tallyfy workflows through unique, unguessable URLs.

File Request Links > Box file requests

Box File Request lets you securely collect documents from anyone through configurable upload links with identity verification, email validation, virus scanning and metadata collection - ideal for regulated industries requiring Business plans or higher.

File Request Links > Google Drive file requests

Google Drive has no native file request feature but workarounds exist through third-party tools like FileDrop and File Request Pro that create upload forms connecting to your Drive, or using Google Forms which requires uploader authentication.
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