Permission & Access Issues

How to Share Organization Contacts with Guest Users in Microsoft 365

Jason Miller Oct 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know how to grant guest users from another Microsoft 365 organization the ability to search and access the host organization's shared contacts.

How to Share Organization Contacts with Guest Users in Microsoft 365

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing external collaboration and global address list (GAL) access for guest users in Microsoft 365.
Observed behavior: By default, guest users cannot search the host organization's directory and are required to manually enter full mailbox addresses to communicate.

Before you start

Verify your Microsoft 365 administrative privileges and review your organization's external sharing policies in the Microsoft Entra admin center before adjusting guest user access.

Solution 1Recommended

Understanding Guest Directory Access and Applying Workarounds

Currently, Microsoft 365 does not provide a native feature to grant guest users full search access to the organization's directory, but administrators can use manual sharing methods.

By design, guest users are managed separately from internal users to maintain strict security boundaries. They cannot use the global address list (GAL) or search for people in the host organization's directory.

Using security groups or PowerShell scripts will not override this system limitation to grant full directory access to guests. Instead, users must rely on targeted resource sharing.

Review guest user lists

Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to the left menu, click on Users, and select Guest users to view currently authenticated external participants.

Share resources manually

Since global directory sharing is unsupported, open the specific document, SharePoint folder, or Teams channel, click the Share button, and manually type the guest user's full email address.

Advise guests on communication

Instruct your guest users to open their respective email clients or Teams chat, and manually type the exact and complete email address of the internal user they need to contact.

Understanding Guest Directory Access and Applying Workarounds

System Limitation: Microsoft is continuously updating its administration features, but as of now, directory search capabilities for external guests remain unsupported for security reasons.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Seamless Collaboration with WPS Office

While Microsoft 365 restricts how you share organizational directories with guests, WPS Office offers a free, lightweight alternative for team collaboration. Enjoy effortless document sharing via simple links without worrying about complex Active Directory permissions.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the download button to install the application for your operating system.
2. Open your document: Launch WPS Office and open the document, spreadsheet, or presentation you wish to share with external users.
3. Create a sharing link: Click the Share button in the top right corner of the workspace to generate a secure link, allowing guests to view or edit instantly.

Highly compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.Easily share documents with external collaborators and guest users via simple web links.Free, lightweight, and fast-loading office suite for everyday tasks.Real-time co-editing and collaboration without complex permission configurations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use PowerShell to grant guest users access to the global address list?

No, PowerShell scripts and security groups do not provide a supported workaround for granting external guests access to your organization's directory contacts in Microsoft 365.

How do guest users find people in the host organization?

Because guest users cannot search the host directory natively, they must know and manually enter the full mailbox address of the person they want to contact in their email or chat client.

Can guest users access shared documents and calendar events?

Yes, while guest users lack full directory search access, administrators and internal users can still share specific calendar events, documents, and SharePoint resources directly with them by typing their exact email addresses.

Document & File Issues