Why SharePoint Permissions Are a Mess and How Orchestry Can Help

Managing SharePoint permissions shouldn't feel like deciphering an ancient, unsolvable puzzle—but for many administrators, it absolutely does. If you’ve found yourself deep in a permissions vortex, struggling to answer simple questions like "Who has access to this?" or "Why can't John see this file?", you're not alone. 

SharePoint Online is undoubtedly a powerful collaboration tool, but its permission system is notoriously complex. From inheritance confusion to oversharing via links, the mishandling (and misunderstanding) of permissions can quickly cause chaos.

The good news? You don’t have to untangle the mess by yourself. This post will take you through the main reasons why SharePoint permissions become so difficult to manage and how a tool like Orchestry can simplify and optimize your entire permissions workflow. 

Why Are SharePoint Permissions Such a Mess?

There are five key reasons behind the chaos of SharePoint permissions. Each one adds to the complexity—and frustration—for admins. 

1. Inheritance Confusion

At the heart of SharePoint’s permission system is inheritance. Permissions are designed to cascade from a top level, like a site, down to subsites, libraries, folders, and individual items. 

Sounds simple, right? Well, the moment inheritance is broken to customize permissions further down the structure (say, for one specific file or folder), things get messy. Over time, these one-off exceptions can breed an unwieldy spiderweb of unique permissions. 

Here’s a real-world scenario:

• A folder’s permissions are broken to grant access to one person.
• Later, more exceptions are added for other files and folders.
• Admins log in months later to find thousands of items with customized permissions and no clear overview of who has access.

2. Oversharing via Sharing Links

Modern SharePoint makes sharing easy. Actually, too easy. By default, most sharing links enable “Anyone with the link” access, which provides little oversight and can quickly spiral into trouble. 

For instance:

• A user creates an "Anyone with the link" share to collaborate with an external partner.
• That partner, in turn, forwards the file to others, and suddenly, the document spreads to unintended third parties—with no audit trail of who accessed it.

Best Practice Tip: Tighten your default sharing settings. Set defaults to “People in your organization” and encourage the use of “Specific people” sharing. Applying expiration dates on links (e.g., 30 days for guest access) also helps combat long-term oversharing. 

3. No Visibility or Reporting

"Who has access to this file?" is a simple question with an often frustrating reality in SharePoint—a lack of holistic visibility. 

Admins can check permissions one file or site at a time, but there’s no out-of-the-box way to generate a clear, tenant-wide overview of permissions. This is especially problematic in sprawling environments with thousands of sites and numerous ad-hoc permissions.  

Want to get a full list of external users? Or pinpoint every file shared via anonymous links? Without custom PowerShell scripts, you’re out of luck. 

Best Practice Tip: Regular permission reviews are essential. Third-party tools like Orchestry simplify oversight by giving you a centralized dashboard to monitor links, guests, and permissions. 

Need to bring order to your SharePoint environment? Download our feature sheet to learn how Orchestry can help.

4. Confusing Roles and Levels

SharePoint comes with multiple levels of permissions—some inherited from Microsoft 365 Groups, others tied to Shared Links. Add in traditional SharePoint roles like Site Owners, Members, and Visitors, and you get a confusing patchwork of overlapping roles. 

For example:

• A person may be a SharePoint Site owner (with full control over the connected SharePoint site) but not show up in the "Owners" group in the associate Team because they are not part of the Owners Group for the Team.
• Or, external guests can have access to a SharePoint site via a share but not appear in Teams or Group rosters, leaving gaps in visibility. 

Best Practice Tip: Wherever possible, manage membership directly through the associated Microsoft 365 Group. Maintaining consistency keeps things more aligned and manageable across Teams and SharePoint. 

5. Microsoft Team & SharePoint Sprawl and External Access

The simplicity of creating a new Team or SharePoint site has led to “Teams and SharePoint sprawl”—a proliferation of inactive or redundant sites, each with independent permissions. 

On top of this, tracking external users becomes a nightmare. Contractors might be granted access to multiple sites over time, and forgotten permissions can linger long after their projects end, leading to potential security risks. 

Best Practice Tip: Use lifecycle policies to manage inactive groups and teams. Tools like Orchestry can automate the process of archiving or deleting unused sites and provide reports on external access to help keep your environment clean. 

How Orchestry Helps You Tame SharePoint Permissions

Now that we’ve covered the reasons for the chaos, how can Orchestry help? 

1. Centralized Permission Management

Orchestry provides a single dashboard to manage permissions across all SharePoint sites and Teams. No more clicking through dozens of sites to figure out who has access. 

2. Streamlined Workspace Governance

With Orchestry’s workspace governance features, you can establish clear guidelines for site creation, automate review cycles for permissions, and ensure compliance at scale. 

3. External Access Oversight

Orchestry makes it easy to monitor and control external access. Get reports on all external users, who invited them, and what they have access to—so nothing slips through the cracks. 

4. Lifecycle Management

Combat group sprawl effectively with Orchestry’s lifecycle policies. Automate the archiving or deletion of inactive groups and sites, reducing clutter and ensuring permissions stay relevant. 

5. Simplified Permission Reporting

With tools to audit sharing links, guest access and group membership, Orchestry helps you ensure that your SharePoint environment follows the “least privilege” principle—only granting access to those who need it. 

Ensure SharePoint Permissions Work for You

Cleaning up SharePoint permissions isn’t impossible—but it does require focused effort, clear guidelines, and the right tools to simplify and streamline the process. 

With Orchestry, SharePoint administrators gain visibility, control, and the ability to enforce governance at scale. Simplify the complex, reduce risks, and focus on what really matters—enabling collaboration, not chaos. 

Interested in bringing order to your SharePoint environment? Download our feature sheet to learn more about how Orchestry can help.