Permission & Access Issues

Fix SharePoint List Members Cannot Tag People in Comments

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

SharePoint list members are unable to tag internal users in item comments, receiving a sharing error, whereas list owners can tag successfully.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Trying to mention or tag internal colleagues in the comments section of a SharePoint list item.
Observed behavior: The system displays the error 'The item could not be shared successfully' for standard members, though it works perfectly for list owners.

Before you start

Ensure you have the contact information for your organization's Microsoft 365 global administrator, as resolving this tenant-level configuration issue requires elevated privileges.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify List Permissions and Test Alternate Lists

Determine if the tagging error is isolated to a specific list's permissions or affects the broader SharePoint environment.

Since list owners can tag users successfully but members cannot, the issue is often tied to how member permissions are configured for that specific list. However, if recent Microsoft upgrades caused backend changes, the standard member permissions might need to be refreshed.

Check list permission levels

Navigate to the SharePoint list, click the gear icon for Settings, select 'List settings', and click 'Permissions for this list'. Ensure that the affected members hold at least 'Edit' or 'Contribute' access.

Verify user directory status

Confirm that the users being tagged are active internal users in your Azure Active Directory, and verify whether the same error occurs when tagging guest or external users.

Test alternative lists

Create a new test list within the same SharePoint site. Add a dummy item and attempt to tag the same internal users in the comments to see if the issue persists globally.

Browser Cache: Clearing the browser cache or switching browsers typically does not resolve this specific issue, as it is related to backend Microsoft 365 configurations.

Solution 2

Open a Microsoft Support Request

If permissions are correct and the issue persists across the tenant, a global administrator must escalate the issue to Microsoft Support.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do SharePoint list owners not experience this tagging error?

List owners typically possess 'Full Control' permissions. This elevated access often bypasses standard backend sharing restrictions or newly introduced permission bugs that affect standard members with lower access levels.

Can clearing my browser cache fix the 'item could not be shared successfully' error?

While clearing cache is a standard troubleshooting step, this particular error persisting across multiple browsers usually indicates a backend permission or tenant configuration problem rather than a local browser issue.

Does this tagging error in SharePoint affect external guest users?

This specific issue has been widely reported when tagging internal users. However, you should test tagging external or guest users to see if the system handles those identities differently, which is valuable information for Microsoft Support.

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