I cannot share a file or folder to somebody in SharePoint or the person is not listed

Error: Unable to get the link. Please try again later

Unable to get the link error

Explanation

Seeing this error or not finding a person is likely to be because you have chosen to search for / share with a shared mailbox rather than a user account. You cannot share files and folders to a shared mailbox.

Historically, a person's username was their job position. More recently we have been migrating usernames to people's actual names but there are still some accounts where this is still not true, particularly Bishop, Archdeacon and PA positions who started before 2020.

Resolution

Close the share window and start the sharing process again.

When sharing a file or folder in SharePoint or OneDrive, search using their name, not their position. You should then find the correct user account to share to.

Tip: In most cases, user accounts display a photo of the person (this is what you should select) and shared mailboxes display the Diocesan logo.