SharePoint, a Microsoft file sharing solution, now requires a minimum of two owners per site. The guidance surfaced as early as 2020 but the rapid adoption of generative AI tools, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, increases the risk for both oversharing information and site control vulnerabilities.

To improve site governance, ensure access continuity, and support responsible data management, SharePoint sites with a single owner will receive automatic reminders from Microsoft, prompting the addition of at least one co-owner.

Reminders Began September 5, 2025

Cornell community members serving as sole owners for a Sharepoint site began receiving these reminders in early September.

Future emails to the co-owners will ask them to review access permissions for their sites, one of the reasons for multiple owners. If a site is threatened while a single owner is out of the office, co-owners can address the issue. The two-owner rule also applies to other Microsoft tools, including Teams and Planner, but shared ownership is solid advice for any collaborative solution, regardless of the vendor.

See the Two Owner SharePoint Site knowledge base article to view a sample email and read additional information about the two-owner condition for SharePoint sites.

Delete Unused SharePoint Sites

To delete unused SharePoint sites, follow Microsoft’s instructions.

Learn and Use SharePoint's Web Interface

Early adopters of SharePoint worked in an environment similar to a shared file system, but the tool’s gradual evolution significantly improved the user experience around 2017 with the introduction of a web-first appearance. Recent developments make the web interface even easier to set up and edit.

Community members interested in learning to use SharePoint document sharing with a visually appealing web home page can learn more through Cornell’s Skillsoft courses.