How to Invite a Guest to Microsoft Teams

Contents

This guide explains how to invite external users (guests) to a Microsoft Team so they can collaborate securely. Guests are people outside HYMS who do not have a HYMS Microsoft 365 account.

If someone already has a HYMS account, they should be added as an internal member, not a guest. This provides full access to Teams features.

What Is a Guest in Microsoft Teams?

A guest is an external user invited to collaborate in a Team using their own email address (for example Gmail, Outlook.com, or another organisation’s Microsoft 365 account). When invited, they are added to HYMS as a Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) B2B guest with clearly restricted permissions for security reasons.

Guests must be added to at least one Team before they can access Teams features.

Before You Start

You must be a Team Owner to add guests directly
Guest access must be enabled by IT (this is enabled by default in most Microsoft 365 tenants)
Guests can be invited using any valid email address

If you are not a Team Owner, you can request that a guest be added, which must be approved by the Team Owner.

How to Invite a Guest to a Team

Open Microsoft Teams (desktop app or web)
Select Teams from the left-hand menu
Find the Team and select More options (•••)
Select Add member
Enter the guest’s email address
When prompted, select Add as a guest
Select Add

The guest will receive an email invitation with a link to join the Team.

Please note that if you are not the Team owner, when selecting add member, you will instead see an option to send a request for a member to be added. You will then need to wait for your request to be accepted by a Team owner.

What the Guest Needs to Do

When a guest clicks the invitation link:

They may sign in using an existing Microsoft account, or
They may be asked to create a guest account, set a password, confirm their name, and verify their email address with a code

Guests can then choose to use:

The Teams web app, or
The Teams desktop app (recommended for meetings and screen sharing)

Access may take up to a few hours to become fully available after accepting the invitation.

image of Microsoft Team guest email invitation

image of Microsoft Team guest set up page

They will then be asked to accept the terms and conditions of sign up and will be given the choice of opening the Team from a browser or from the Teams desktop app. The app provides a better user experience, especially for video calls. image of Microsoft Team guest set up page

image of links to download Microsoft Teams app or browser link

How to Identify Guests in Teams

You can easily tell who is a guest:

The word “(Guest)” appears after their name
Teams with guests show a guest indicator under the Team name
A full list is available under More options → Manage team → Members

If a Team has external guests, it will say so under the Team name heading.

You can tell if someone is a guest by looking anywhere their name appears – the word guest appears after it.

image of Microsoft Teams members and guests tab You can also see a list of all guests from more options /manage team, the members tab. New guests will appear once they go through the guest set up steps outlined above.

Guest Permissions and What Guests Can Do

Guests have access to most day‑to‑day collaboration features, including:

Chat in channels and private chats
Participate in meetings and calls
Upload, download, and collaborate on files
View the Team activity feed
Use the Teams desktop or mobile apps

However, guests have limitations by design:

❌ Cannot create or manage Teams
❌ Cannot schedule meetings on behalf of others
❌ Cannot access private channels unless explicitly added
❌ Cannot manage users or organisation settings

Meeting capabilities such as screen sharing and recording depend on Team and meeting policies set by IT.

Meeting Security for Guests

For security reasons:

Guests may be placed in the meeting lobby by default
Guests cannot always present or share their screen unless the organiser allows it
Meeting organisers can control these options via Meeting options during or before a meeting

Changing Guest Permissions (Team Owners)

Team Owners can control guest behaviour:

Open the Team
Select More options (•••) → Manage team
Select Settings → Guest permissions

From here you can allow or prevent guests from:

Creating or updating channels
Deleting channels

Changes apply immediately.

Resetting a Guest Password

Guests manage their own passwords:

Open a Teams invitation email
Select the sign‑in link
Choose Forgot password
Verify identity using a code sent to their email
Create a new password

Resetting a password for a guest account

Guests can reset their own password.

Click on the link in a Team email invitation
If you are prompted to log in and do not remember your password, click on the forgot password link on the log in page
You will be given the option to be sent a security code via the email address you signed up with, which you will then need to enter on the log in page to verify your identity
You can then enter a new password

Removing a Guest from a Team

Only Team Owners can remove guests:

Open the Team
Select More options (•••) → Manage team
Open the Members tab
Select X next to the guest’s name

Once removed:

The guest no longer sees the Team
The guest account may still exist until removed centrally by IT

External guests will no longer see the Team listed for them, but will retain some access to functionality, such as the ability to chat / call individuals.

Leaving a Team as a Guest

Guests can leave a Team at any time:

Select the Team name
Select More options (•••)
Select Leave team

Screenshot image of Microsoft Teams more options tab and leave team option

Invite internal HYMS Colleagues: Teams: Members and Owners

Invite Guests to meetings only: Creating video meetings in Microsoft Teams

Updated on 27/04/2026

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