How to Fix Guest Users Cannot See SharePoint Hub Site News
Question details
External guest users are unable to view news items aggregated from associated sites when using the SharePoint News web part on a hub site.
- Product
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- A SharePoint site owner has configured a News web part on a hub site to display news from all associated sites, aiming to share updates with both internal and external collaborators.
- Observed behavior
- Fully licensed internal users can view the news feed normally. However, external guest users only see a continuous loading state or an empty feed unless their permission level is elevated to Member.
Verify that your external guest users have at least 'Visitor' (Read) permissions on the individual associated sites where the news posts are originally published, as SharePoint respects item-level security.
Replace News Web Part with Highlighted Content Web Part
Since the standard News web part struggles with guest permissions across multiple hub sites, replacing it with a filtered Highlighted Content web part is the most reliable workaround.
The Highlighted Content web part uses a different method to query and display items from across site collections. When filtered to show only News items, it acts as a functional equivalent to the News web part while successfully loading for guest users.
Navigate to the SharePoint hub site where the news is failing to display. Click the 'Edit' button located in the top right corner of the page.
Hover over the section where you want the news to appear, click the '+' icon, and select 'Highlighted content' from the web part menu.
In the property pane on the right side of the screen, locate the 'Source' dropdown menu and change it to 'All sites in the hub'.
Scroll down to the 'Type' dropdown in the property pane and select 'News'. This ensures only news posts are aggregated.
Once configured, click the 'Republish' button at the top right of the page. Test the page with a guest user account to confirm the news items now load properly.
Temporarily Elevate Guest User Permissions
If you must strictly use the standard News web part, increasing the guest user's permission level from Visitor to Member resolves the infinite loading issue.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the News web part work for 'This site' but not 'All sites in the hub'?
When set to 'All sites in the hub', the News web part relies heavily on SharePoint search indexing to aggregate content across different site collections. Guest users often face limitations, delays, or permission mismatches with search-driven web parts compared to internally licensed users.
Can Microsoft Support permanently fix the guest permission error in the News web part?
You can ask your Microsoft 365 tenant administrator to open a support request in the Microsoft 365 admin center under 'Support > New service request'. However, because this involves search indexing and guest accounts, using the Highlighted Content web part is currently the officially recommended workaround.
Does the Highlighted Content web part look exactly like the News web part?
While it effectively displays the same aggregated news posts, it may lack a few specific aesthetic templates exclusive to the News web part. However, it offers functional layout options like Grid, List, and Carousel that look very similar.
