SharePoint Document Issues

Fix SharePoint Alerts Cannot Find Email Addresses for External Users

Khadija Khan Oct 9, 2026 870 views

Question details

Users are unable to create SharePoint document alerts for external guest users because the system incorrectly reports that the users do not have email addresses.

Fix SharePoint Alerts Cannot Find Email Addresses for External Users

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: An administrator or site owner is trying to set up document or list alerts for external guest users to keep them updated on file changes.
Observed behavior: SharePoint throws an error stating that the external users do not have email addresses, even though valid business or onmicrosoft.com email addresses are clearly visible in their user profiles.

Before you start

Verify that the external guest users have successfully accepted their SharePoint invitations and have logged into the tenant at least once to ensure their profiles are initialized.

Solution 1

Verify and Update Email Information in SharePoint Admin Center

Use this solution to ensure that the guest user's email address is correctly synced and visible in the central SharePoint User Profiles management portal.

Sometimes, the email address is visible locally on the site but hasn't properly synced to the centralized User Profile service in the SharePoint admin center.

Access the SharePoint Admin Center

Navigate to User Profiles

Click on 'More features' in the left-hand navigation pane, and then select 'Open' under the 'User profiles' section.

Manage User Profiles

Click on 'Manage User Profiles' and search for the external guest user experiencing the issue.

Verify Work Email

Edit the user's profile and check the 'Work email' field. If it is blank or incorrect, update it with the correct email address and save the changes. Ask the user to verify if the alert can now be created.

Synchronization Delay: Changes made in the SharePoint admin center may take up to 24 hours to fully sync across all site collections.

Solution 2Recommended

Open a Microsoft 365 Support Ticket for Tenant-Level Investigation

If the user profile data is correct but the error persists, the issue lies at the tenant backend. Microsoft Support must investigate the synchronization failure.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Collaborate on Documents Seamlessly with WPS Office

If complex tenant configurations and SharePoint backend errors are slowing down your collaboration with external partners, consider using WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for sharing and co-editing documents without the hassle of managing guest user profiles in an admin center.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Office and open the document you wish to share with external users.
2. Click Share: Click the 'Share' button located in the top right corner of the application interface.
3. Generate a sharing link: Set your desired permissions (such as 'Anyone with the link can edit') and send the generated link directly to your external collaborators.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)Built-in seamless document sharing and cloud collaboration featuresFree, lightweight, and easy-to-use alternative to Microsoft 365No complex guest user tenant management or synchronization delays

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does SharePoint say my external guest user has no email address?

This usually happens due to a synchronization delay between Entra ID (Azure AD) and the SharePoint User Profile Service, or a tenant-level glitch that prevents SharePoint from reading the 'Work email' attribute for external identities.

How long does it take for a guest user's profile to sync in SharePoint?

After a guest user accepts their invitation and logs into the tenant for the first time, it can take anywhere from a few hours up to 24-48 hours for their profile information, including their email address, to fully propagate across all SharePoint sites.

Can external users receive SharePoint document alerts?

Yes, external guest users can receive SharePoint alerts for document or list changes, provided their guest account is properly configured, their email is synced in the User Profile Service, and they have adequate permissions to view the site.

Where do I update an external user's email address in SharePoint?

You can update an external user's email address by navigating to the SharePoint admin center, clicking 'More features', opening 'User profiles', selecting 'Manage User Profiles', and then searching for and editing the affected user's profile.

Document & File Issues