Permission & Access Issues

How to Fix SharePoint Users Losing Access with Custom Permission Levels

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users lose access to a SharePoint site when assigned custom permission levels or default Contribute permissions, despite having extensive configuration settings.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A site administrator is trying to assign users a custom permission level or default Contribute permission outside of the standard Site Members group.
Observed behavior: Users completely lose access to the site when assigned the custom or Contribute permissions. If combined with the Site Visitor group, only the Site Visitor (Read) permissions take effect.

Before you start

Ensure you have SharePoint Tenant Administrator or Site Owner privileges before attempting to modify and test site permissions.

Solution 1

Test with Standard Default Permission Levels

Verify if the access issue is isolated to your custom permissions or affects all non-standard group assignments.

Assign standard permissions

Assign the affected users the default Full Control, Design, Edit, or Read permission levels.

Verify user access

Ask the users to access the SharePoint site to see if the default permissions are applied correctly.

Solution 2Recommended

Test Custom Permissions on a New SharePoint Site

Determine if the issue is caused by a site-specific permissions cache or configuration error.

Solution 3

Create a Microsoft 365 Support Request

If standard permission levels also fail or the new site test doesn't resolve the issue, the tenant may have a backend cache issue requiring Microsoft's intervention.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do custom permission levels sometimes fail in SharePoint?

This can happen due to permission caching issues within the tenant, missing dependent permissions in the custom level setup, or specific site configuration errors.

What are the default SharePoint groups and their permission levels?

The default SharePoint groups typically include Site Owners (Full Control), Site Members (Edit), and Site Visitors (Read).

How can I clear the SharePoint permission cache?

As a tenant administrator, you cannot directly clear the backend permission cache. If creating a new site doesn't resolve the issue, you must contact Microsoft 365 support for backend assistance.

Can I combine multiple permission levels for one user in SharePoint?

Yes, users can be assigned multiple permission levels. SharePoint typically grants the highest level of access among all assigned permissions, though conflicting custom setups might occasionally cause unexpected behavior.

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