Permission & Access Issues

How to Review and Remove Folder Permissions in Microsoft Teams

Guest Writer Oct 10, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to find and remove an external user's access to various folders and subfolders across Microsoft Teams and SharePoint locations.

How to Review and Remove Folder Permissions in Microsoft Teams

Product: Microsoft Teams
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Auditing and revoking external user access to specific folders and files where direct visibility is lacking.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Teams and SharePoint do not provide a complete built-in report showing every folder and subfolder that a specific external user can access, requiring a workaround to remove permissions efficiently.

Before you start

Ensure you have the necessary Admin or Site Owner permissions in Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to view and modify user access rights. It is also recommended to have basic familiarity with PowerShell if you plan to use scripting for an extensive audit.

Solution 1Recommended

Remove the User Directly from the Microsoft Team

If folder permissions are inherited from the main team settings, removing the external user from the team will automatically revoke their access to all associated files and folders.

Open Team Settings

Open Microsoft Teams, locate the specific team in your Teams list, click the 'More options' (three dots) icon next to the team name, and select 'Manage team'.

Locate the External User

Go to the 'Members' tab and expand the 'Members and guests' section to find the external user whose access you want to remove.

Remove the User

Click the 'X' next to their name to remove them from the team. This action will immediately revoke their inherited access to the team's SharePoint files and folders.

Inheritance Note: This method only removes access to files and folders that inherit permissions from the parent team. If the user was granted direct access to a specific folder (broken inheritance), you will need to remove that access manually or via PowerShell.

Solution 2

Audit and Remove Specific Folder Permissions via PnP PowerShell

Use a PnP PowerShell script to generate a report of all folders an external user can access and programmatically remove their permissions across multiple locations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I generate a single report in Teams to see what an external user has access to?

No, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint do not currently provide a native, built-in feature to export a complete report of every folder and subfolder a specific external user can access. You must use PowerShell scripts or third-party auditing tools to gather this information.

What happens to file access if I just remove an external user from the Team?

Removing the user from the Microsoft Team will revoke their access to all files and folders that inherit permissions from the main Team group. However, if they were granted direct access to a specific folder (meaning inheritance was broken), they may still retain access to it.

How do I check if a SharePoint folder has unique permissions?

Open the folder in SharePoint, click the three dots (More options), select 'Manage access', and then click 'Advanced'. In this window, you can see if the folder inherits permissions from the parent site or has unique, explicitly assigned permissions.

Document & File Issues