Permission & Access Issues

Can You Hide SharePoint Site Members from Users?

Partner Editor Oct 10, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know if there is a way to hide the member list or individual member names from other users who already have access to a SharePoint site.

Can You Hide SharePoint Site Members from Users?

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing user privacy and restricting the visibility of site membership directories for active SharePoint users.
Observed behavior: SharePoint currently displays the site member list to users who have access and lacks a built-in standard setting to conceal these names.

Before you start

Log in to your SharePoint admin center with appropriate administrative credentials to review your current site permissions and user groups.

Solution 1Recommended

Manage SharePoint Permissions and Submit a Feature Request

Since SharePoint does not natively support hiding member lists, you must rely on strict permission management and submit feedback to Microsoft for future updates.

Currently, Microsoft SharePoint does not offer a standard configuration to hide the member list or individual member names from users who already possess access to the site.

To maintain the highest level of privacy possible, ensure that you limit membership management to appropriate site owners or administrators. This prevents unauthorized users from altering the directory or viewing excessive administrative details.

Access Site Permissions

Open your SharePoint site, click on 'Settings' (the gear icon in the top right corner), and then select 'Site permissions'.

Review Current Groups

Carefully review the 'Site Owners', 'Site Members', and 'Site Visitors' groups to ensure only authorized individuals have access to the site.

Restrict Membership Management

Ensure that only designated Site Owners have the rights to add or remove members, preventing standard users from accessing membership configuration panels.

Submit Feature Feedback to Microsoft

Visit the Microsoft Feedback Portal (feedbackportal.microsoft.com) to create a new entry or vote on existing requests advocating for a feature to hide member lists in SharePoint.

Manage SharePoint Permissions and Submit a Feature Request

Feature Limitation: Because Microsoft constantly updates Office 365 products based on user requests, utilizing the feedback community is the best way to encourage the development of this privacy feature.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any workaround to hide users in a SharePoint group?

No built-in workaround exists to hide member names from users who are already in the same SharePoint site group. You can only restrict access entirely by removing them from the site or placing them in distinct, restricted sub-sites.

Can I hide the 'Site members' web part on a SharePoint page?

Yes, site owners can edit the SharePoint home page and delete the 'Site members' web part from the visual layout. However, this only removes it from the page; it does not prevent users from finding the member list via the site settings or directory.

Who can see the site members list in SharePoint by default?

By default, anyone with access to the SharePoint site—including Site Owners, Site Members, and Site Visitors—can view the list of people who have access to that site.

Document & File Issues