Permission & Access Issues

How to Create SharePoint Plans with Different Members and Permissions

Huma Ashraf Ch Oct 19, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users want to create multiple Microsoft Planner plans within one SharePoint site while assigning different members and access rules to each specific plan.

How to Create SharePoint Plans with Different Members and Permissions

Product: SharePoint / Microsoft Planner
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing multiple project plans within a single SharePoint site and attempting to restrict access or assign distinct members to individual plans.
Observed behavior: Currently, every plan created within a SharePoint site automatically inherits the site's overall group membership, with no built-in way to assign completely separate members to each plan during creation.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Microsoft 365 Admin permissions to manage site members, create new groups, or modify Planner settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Separate Microsoft 365 Groups or SharePoint Sites

Since plans inherently use their parent site's membership, the most secure and reliable way to isolate permissions is to create separate Microsoft 365 groups or SharePoint sites for each plan.

Because SharePoint and Planner are tightly integrated via Microsoft 365 Groups, any plan you create in a site will default to that site's member list.

To achieve strict permission boundaries where users can only see their specific project plans, you must bypass single-site inheritance by structuring your projects into separate groups.

Access the Admin Center

Navigate to the SharePoint admin center or Microsoft 365 admin center using your administrator credentials.

Create a New Site or Group

Click on 'Active sites' or 'Groups', and select 'Add a site' or 'Add a group' to create a dedicated space for your specific project.

Assign Specific Members

During the creation process, add only the users who should have access to this specific project and its associated Planner plan.

Add a Planner Plan

Open the newly created SharePoint site, add a Planner web part or navigate to Microsoft Planner to create a new plan linked to this isolated group.

Use Separate Microsoft 365 Groups or SharePoint Sites

Solution 2

Manage Plan Members from the Planner App

While you cannot separate memberships during creation within the same site, you can view and manage plan details directly from the Planner interface.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stop a Planner plan from inheriting SharePoint site members?

By default, Planner plans are tied to Microsoft 365 Groups. If a plan is created within a SharePoint site, it automatically inherits that site's group membership. You cannot disable this inheritance directly for a single plan while keeping it in the same shared group.

What happens if I remove a member from a shared Planner plan?

If the Planner plan is connected to a SharePoint site via a Microsoft 365 Group, removing a member from the plan usually removes them from the entire group. This means they will also lose access to the connected SharePoint site and its resources.

Is there a way to create private plans in a public SharePoint site?

No, Microsoft currently does not provide a built-in way to create completely private plans inside a broader shared site. The official recommendation is to use separate SharePoint sites or Microsoft 365 Groups for projects that require strict permission separation.

Document & File Issues