How to Fix SharePoint Access Problems After Recreating a Deleted User
Question details
Users experience SharePoint upload and permission failures after their Microsoft 365 account is deleted and recreated with the exact same name and email.
- Product
- SharePoint
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An administrator recreates a previously deleted user account, but the user is unable to access previously shared SharePoint resources or upload forms.
- Observed behavior
- The system denies access or fails to process uploads for the recreated user, treating them as an unauthorized or unrecognized identity despite the User Principal Name (UPN) being identical.
Ensure you have global administrator or SharePoint administrator privileges in Microsoft 365 to manage user accounts and modify site collection directories.
Open a Microsoft 365 Service Request for PUID Mapping
Request Microsoft Support to investigate and correct the internal identity mapping (PUID mismatch) in the background.
When an account is deleted and recreated, Microsoft 365 assigns a new Passport Unique ID (PUID). Even if the email and User Principal Name (UPN) are the same, SharePoint still associates permissions with the old PUID. Microsoft Support has backend tools to resolve this identity misalignment securely.
Navigate to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with your global administrator credentials.
On the left-hand navigation pane, click on 'Support' and then select 'Help & support'.
Type 'SharePoint PUID mismatch after recreating user' in the search bar. If the automated solutions do not work, click 'Contact support' to open a ticket.
Supply the support agent with the affected user's UPN, email address, and the specific SharePoint sites or Microsoft Forms where access is failing.
Manually Remove the Old User Profile from SharePoint
Clear the cached, mismatched identity from the specific SharePoint site collection so the new user identity can be properly registered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does recreating a Microsoft 365 user break SharePoint access?
Every user in Microsoft 365 is assigned a unique internal identifier known as a PUID. Recreating a user generates a brand new PUID, but SharePoint caches the old PUID. Because the identifiers no longer match, SharePoint denies access even though the email address is the same.
Will restoring a deleted user instead of recreating them fix this?
Yes. If the user was deleted within the last 30 days, restoring the account from the 'Deleted Users' section in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center retains the original PUID. This prevents permission and access issues across SharePoint and OneDrive.
Does this PUID mismatch issue affect OneDrive files as well?
Yes. OneDrive for Business is built on SharePoint infrastructure. A PUID mismatch will typically block the recreated user from accessing their previous OneDrive files, requiring administrator intervention or Microsoft Support to restore proper mappings.
