What’s the Difference between SharePoint Document Library and Other File Storages such as Google Drive, and Dropbox etc

SharePoint is a enterprise document management system, that got robust features and permissions granularity. The files in SharePoint are stored in an application that is called Document Library.

The common element among SharePoint Document Library(DL) and other Online File Storage(OFS) is that they store files and that’s where the similarities end.

The answers to the questions may help to understand the difference between DL and OFS.

How do I share the files with a group of users ?

Document Library

Create a SharePoint Group, Add all users into it and Grant Permissions

Create a share link with expiry date and password enabled

Separate links for people to view and for another set of users to edit the files within the folder that is shared or a single file can be created

Online File Storage

Enter email of the users to which you want to Share the document with.

How do I keep the files secure so that they aren’t shared accidentally ?

Document Library

Adding sensitivity labels to the documents allows to restrict documents from being shared and block access even if the documents are copied.

As an example, A document requiring that an internal user needs to sign-in with an organizational account to view the document.

Online File Storage

Review the permissions, but once the file is shared the users can copy and share the file.

The only way would be to avoid sharing files altogether

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