File, Privately Shared
A Privately Shared File in Salesforce is a File visible only to its Owner and a specific set of users, groups, or records the Owner has explicitly shared it with.
Definition
A Privately Shared File in Salesforce is a File visible only to its Owner and a specific set of users, groups, or records the Owner has explicitly shared it with. The privacy state sits between Private (Owner only) and Your Company (all internal users); it is the most common state for production files because nearly every file ends up linked to a record or shared with collaborators. The privacy state is computed from ContentDocumentLink records; explicit sharing transitions a Private File to Privately Shared automatically.
Privately Shared is the working state for almost all team-collaboration files. A sales contract linked to an Opportunity, a creative asset shared with the marketing team, a Knowledge draft shared with the editor: all are Privately Shared. The platform classifies the state based on what sharing records exist; a file with ContentDocumentLink records pointing to specific users, groups, or records (but not to an org-wide audience) qualifies as Privately Shared.
How Privately Shared Files work
What qualifies as Privately Shared
A File is Privately Shared when it has one or more ContentDocumentLink records pointing to a User, Group, Record, or Library, but does not have org-wide sharing. The platform computes the state from the link set; no separate flag toggles it.
Common ways files become Privately Shared
Uploading a file on a record page (auto-creates a record link). Sharing a Private file via the Share dialog. Adding a file to a Library. Posting a file in a Chatter Group. Each action creates a ContentDocumentLink that transitions the file to Privately Shared.
Cross-record file sharing
A single file can be Privately Shared across multiple records. Add ContentDocumentLink records for each target record; users with access to any of the records see the file. This is how onboarding documents get attached to multiple Account records or how case-resolution PDFs get linked to related Cases.
Visibility scope and permissions
The set of users who can see a Privately Shared file is the union of: the Owner, direct ContentDocumentLink Users, members of linked Groups, users with access to linked Records (depending on sharing model), and Library members. Permissions vary by ShareType (V for Viewer, C for Collaborator, I for Owner).
Transitioning to Your Company
Sharing a Privately Shared file with an org-wide audience (publishing to a Library shared with the whole org, or adding all-users Public Group) transitions the state to Your Company. The transition is automatic; the state is recomputed from links.
Auditing Privately Shared files
Compliance teams sometimes need to audit who has access to a file. Query ContentDocumentLink for the file Id; the result lists every user, group, record, and library with access. Cross-reference these to identify potential over-sharing.
Reverting to Private
Removing all sharing (deleting the non-Owner ContentDocumentLink records) returns the file to Private state. The transition is automatic and reversible. Useful for files that need to retract from collaboration when work pauses.
How to set a file to Privately Shared
Setting a file to Privately Shared is implicit: any sharing action on a Private file (with specific users, groups, or records) transitions to this state. The platform computes the state from the resulting links.
- Start with a Private or new file
Upload a file to the Files tab or open an existing Private file.
- Click Share
On the file detail page, click Share. The Share dialog opens.
- Add users, groups, or records
Search for and add the users, groups, or records who should have access. Pick the right ShareType (Viewer or Collaborator).
- Save the sharing
Click Done. The ContentDocumentLink records are created. The file is now Privately Shared.
- Verify the privacy state
Open the file. The privacy state appears as Privately Shared. Check the sharing list to confirm the right users have access.
- Adjust as needed
Add or remove users to refine sharing. Each change updates the privacy state if it changes the underlying link composition.
Add ContentDocumentLink records per user.
Group members inherit the file access.
Users with record access see the file via the record relationship.
Library members get access per Library permissions.
- Records with broad sharing (Public Read/Write OWD) effectively make linked files org-wide visible. Check record sharing before sharing files via records.
- Multiple sharing methods stack: a user can be a Collaborator via direct link, a Viewer via group membership, and an Owner via record sharing. The user gets the strongest permission.
- Sharing a file on a record cascades to users with record access. If the record is shared with everyone, the file effectively transitions to Your Company state.
- Removing the last non-Owner ContentDocumentLink reverts to Private state automatically. Useful for retracting collaboration; surprise to users who relied on the file appearing.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on File, Privately Shared.
- File Sharing OverviewSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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