Permission & Access Issues

How to Fix SharePoint User Still Having Access After Permissions Removed

Kushani Nimanthika Oct 1, 2026 870 views

Question details

A SharePoint user continues to have access or owner-level rights to a site even after being removed from the standard site permissions group.

How to Fix a SharePoint User Retaining Access After Permissions Are Removed

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A site admin is attempting to completely revoke a specific user's access to a SharePoint site or subsite.
Observed behavior: The user retains their access privileges due to underlying status as a Site Collection Administrator, inherited permissions, or unseen group memberships.

Before you start

Ensure you are logged in with Site Collection Administrator privileges so you have full access to view and modify advanced site permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove from Site Collection Administrators and Verify Effective Permissions

This is the most comprehensive method to ensure a user is completely stripped of their access, addressing hidden admin rights and inherited group memberships.

In SharePoint, a user's access is not strictly limited to standard permission groups. If a user is designated as a Site Collection Administrator or is part of a broader Microsoft 365 security group, they will bypass standard site-level removals. Utilizing the Check Permissions tool is crucial to identifying these underlying access roots.

Access Advanced Permissions

Open your SharePoint site and click the gear icon in the top right to open 'Settings'. Select 'Site permissions' from the menu, then click on 'Advanced permissions settings' at the bottom of the pane.

Review Site Collection Administrators

In the advanced settings ribbon, click on 'Site Collection Administrators'. Look for the user's name in the list. If they are present, remove them and click 'OK' to save the changes.

Check People and Groups

Navigate to the site collection's 'People and Groups' page. Ensure the user is completely removed from the overarching site members and owners lists, not just specific document libraries.

Use the Check Permissions Tool

Go back to 'Advanced permissions settings' and click on the 'Check Permissions' button in the ribbon. Enter the user's name and click 'Check Now'. This will display a detailed breakdown of the user's effective access and reveal if they are inheriting rights through a Microsoft 365 group or an Azure AD security group.

Remove from Site Collection Administrators and Verify Effective Permissions

Subsite Permissions: If your SharePoint environment utilizes subsites with unique permissions, you will need to repeat this checking process at both the site and subsite levels.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a user still have access after I removed them from a SharePoint group?

They are likely part of an underlying Microsoft 365 group, an Azure AD security group, or are listed as a Site Collection Administrator. These roles supersede standard site group permissions and grant access independently.

How do I find exactly how a user is getting access to my SharePoint site?

You can pinpoint their access source by using the 'Check Permissions' tool located in Settings > Site permissions > Advanced permissions settings. By entering the user's name, SharePoint will list all the groups and permission levels currently granting them access.

Does removing a user from a subsite also remove their access to the parent site?

No. If permissions are broken (meaning the subsite uses unique permissions rather than inheriting them), you must manually remove the user from both the parent site's and the subsite's permissions lists.

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