M365: Guest Access: External User Experience Walkthrough

Summary

When USNH staff invite external collaborators to SharePoint sites or Microsoft Teams, the guest receives an email invitation and follows a redemption process to gain access. This guide explains what guests experience—from opening the invitation to completing sign-in and MFA—so staff understand the steps and can assist if needed.

Always instruct external collaborators to accept the tenant Guest invitation first, then access shared content. 

 

Content

External collaboration is common for projects involving vendors, partners, or researchers. Understanding the guest experience helps staff anticipate questions and troubleshoot access issues. If users are shared content for editing/collaborating as a guest and do not fully accept the tenant invitation, access to resources will be temporary and not enable full collaboration. 

Important information when inviting Guest users: 

  • Invitation Redemption Is Required for Persistent Access
    When you invite an external user to your Microsoft 365 tenant (via Teams or SharePoint), the guest account is created in PendingAcceptance state. Until the user redeems the invitation, they are not fully onboarded into your directory and cannot access resources consistently. 

  • Access via Shared Link Without Accepting Invitation

    • If the link requires sign-in (edit access), the guest will be prompted to authenticate using One-Time Passcode (OTP) or a Microsoft account. This allows temporary access to that file or folder but does not complete the invitation redemption process.
      • Why temporary? One Time Passcode (OTP) based access is being deprecated. Microsoft is moving to Entra B2B guest onboarding, which requires invitation acceptance for full collaboration (Teams chat, SharePoint permissions, MFA enforcement). 
         

Why This Matters for USNH

  • If guests only click a file link and never accept the tenant Guest invitation:
    • They cannot join Teams meetings or channels, edit documents in real-time, or access broader resources.
    • Their access is limited to that single link and may break when policies change or links expire.
    • They will not satisfy MFA or compliance requirements if needed, which could block future access.


What Guests See When Invited

Invitation Email

  • Guests receive an email from Microsoft Invitations on behalf of USNH.
  • The email includes an Accept invitation button.

 

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

Guests Click “Accept Invitation”

  • Redirects to a Microsoft sign-in page.
  • If the guest’s email is linked to a Microsoft account, they sign in directly.
  • If not, they receive a one-time passcode via email (default fallback method).
     

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

 

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)


 

Permissions Prompt

  • Guests may see a page requesting consent to share basic profile info with USNH. They must click Accept to proceed.

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

 

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

  • If USNH requires MFA, guests must set it up during first sign-in.
  • MFA setup uses an authentication app or other approved method.

 

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

Guests may only need to do this the first time or when security settings change.
 

Access Granted

  • After acceptance and MFA, guests are redirected to the resource (SharePoint site or Teams workspace).
  • If no resources are assigned yet, they see the My Apps page with “There are no apps to show.”

 

Further Readings

Guest Access in Microsoft Teams 

 

Need additional help?

For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:

Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!

Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request.  For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.  

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