How to add external users to Microsoft Teams

The short answer

There are two main ways to work with people outside your organisation in Microsoft Teams. External access lets you chat, call and meet with people at other organisations that use Teams, and it's on by default. Guest access adds someone to one of your teams so they can join channel conversations and work on files with you. To add a guest, a team owner selects More options next to the team name, then Add member, and enters the person's email address.

External access or guest access: which do you need?

• External access suits day-to-day contact with suppliers or partners. You can add them to chats, invite them to meetings and call them, but they can't see your teams, and sharing files in external chats only works if your admin has set it up. Admins manage it in the Teams admin centre under Users then External access.
• Guest access suits longer projects. Guests get an account in your directory and can chat, meet and work on files inside the team, with nearly the same abilities as your own staff. Admins turn it on in the Teams admin centre under Users then Guest access.
• Shared channels are a third option: you share one channel with people at another organisation, and they use it from their own Teams account without a guest account in yours.

How to add a guest to a team, step by step

1. Hover over the team name, select More options, then Add member.
2. Type the guest's email address. Business and personal addresses, such as Outlook or Gmail, both work.
3. Select Add (name) as a guest? and enter their name. Do it now, because only an IT admin can add it later.
4. Select Add.

The guest gets a welcome email and can join the team once they accept the invitation. It can take a few hours for their access to work. You'll see Guest after their name in the team.

How to chat with someone at another organisation

If your organisation allows external access, start a new chat and type the person's full email address. Their organisation must allow external access too. If you can't find them, ask your IT team whether their domain is blocked or only specific domains are allowed.

Why can't I add an external user?

• "We didn't find any matches." This usually means your organisation doesn't allow guests. Ask your admin to check Users then Guest access, and the related settings in Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 Groups and SharePoint.
• You're not a team owner. Only owners can add guests.
• The invitation went to junk. Ask the guest to check their spam folder.
• The guest can't see your team. If they also use Teams at their own organisation, they need to switch organisations: select their profile picture, then Account manager.
• Their domain is blocked. External access can be limited to, or block, specific domains.

Keeping external collaboration secure

• Keep work with outsiders in dedicated teams or channels, separate from internal discussions.
• Review guests regularly and remove anyone who no longer needs access.
• Use conditional access so guests have to meet the same sign-in rules as your staff.
• Tell guests up front what they can and can't share.

If you'd like help setting up Teams for working with partners and clients, our Microsoft 365 services cover it. For meeting spaces, see Microsoft Teams Rooms, or get in touch.

Further reading

• Microsoft Support: add guests to a team in Teams
• Microsoft Learn: communicate with users from other organisations
• Microsoft Learn: manage external meetings and chat

More Microsoft Teams guides

• Microsoft Teams Updates | December 2024 Edition
• Channels in Microsoft Teams
• Town Halls in Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft Teams Updates | December 2023

Further reading: How to fix Microsoft 365 login problems | The Last Microsoft Product Rename of 2024 | How to record a Microsoft Teams meeting