Permission & Access Issues

Fix Access Denied for Files Shared Through Teams and SharePoint

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

A recently recreated organizational account is receiving access denied errors when attempting to open files shared through Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, or SharePoint, despite having the correct permissions granted.

Product: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening organizational files shared by coworkers after a user account has been recreated.
Observed behavior: The user cannot access shared files even after file owners explicitly grant access, indicating a potential identity mismatch between the deleted account and the new one.

Before you start

Ensure you have the contact information for your organization's Microsoft 365 tenant administrator, as resolving backend account identity mismatches requires administrative privileges.

Solution 1Recommended

Run the Site User ID Mismatch Diagnostic

This is the recommended approach for recently recreated accounts to fix underlying ID conflicts in Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365.

When an account is deleted and recreated using the same email address, SharePoint and Teams often still recognize the unique identifier (PUID) of the old account. A tenant administrator needs to run a diagnostic tool to clear this mismatch.

Contact your administrator

Reach out to your Microsoft 365 tenant administrator and explain that your newly recreated account is experiencing an identity mismatch.

Verify the account in Microsoft Entra ID

Ask the administrator to verify that your recreated account is correctly provisioned and active within Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Entra ID.

Run the diagnostic tool

Have the administrator navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center, open the Help & Support pane, and run the 'Site User ID Mismatch' diagnostic tool for your affected account.

Open a support ticket

If the diagnostic tool does not resolve the access denied error, ask your administrator to open an official support ticket with Microsoft from the admin portal.

Admin Access Required: Standard users cannot perform this action. Only users with global admin or SharePoint admin roles can access the diagnostic tools.

Solution 2

Re-grant Permissions via Manage Access

A quick workaround for file owners to ensure the newly recreated account receives fresh access links.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I getting 'Access Denied' after my organizational account was recreated?

When an account is deleted and recreated with the exact same email address, services like SharePoint and Teams may still associate your login with the hidden unique identifier (PUID) of the old deleted account. This identity mismatch causes permission validation to fail.

Can I fix the Site User ID Mismatch on my own?

No, the Site User ID Mismatch diagnostic must be run by a Microsoft 365 tenant administrator who has the necessary permissions to access and troubleshoot user directories in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Does this identity issue affect files stored in OneDrive as well?

Yes. Since OneDrive for Business is built on SharePoint infrastructure, an account identity mismatch will cause 'Access Denied' errors for files shared from both standard SharePoint team sites and personal OneDrive folders.

Will clearing my browser cache solve the SharePoint access denied error?

While clearing cache or using Incognito mode can fix simple session glitches, it will not fix a Site User ID Mismatch. The underlying issue exists on the Microsoft Entra ID server side and requires administrative diagnostics.

Document & File Issues