Permission & Access Issues

How to Use Microsoft Entra B2B for External SharePoint Users

John Wilson Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

An organization needs to allow users from another Microsoft 365 tenant to access an internal SharePoint site using their own official accounts.

How to Use Microsoft Entra B2B for External SharePoint Users

Product: Microsoft SharePoint / Microsoft Entra B2B
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up cross-tenant access for external users to view internal SharePoint sites, resources, and Microsoft 365 feeds without creating new credentials.
Observed behavior: Standard SharePoint does not automatically provide a fully unified identity and feed experience across tenants, requiring specialized B2B configuration.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft 365 Global Administrator or SharePoint Administrator privileges before configuring cross-tenant access and external sharing settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Configure Microsoft Entra B2B Collaboration for SharePoint

Invite users from another organization as guest users to provide controlled access to your SharePoint resources while letting them use their own credentials.

Microsoft Entra B2B allows you to securely share your organization's apps and services with guest users from any other organization, while maintaining control over your own corporate data.

Enable B2B collaboration

Go to the Microsoft Entra admin center and configure cross-tenant access settings to allow inbound B2B collaboration for the target external organization.

Adjust SharePoint sharing settings

In the SharePoint admin center, set the external sharing level for your organization and the specific site to 'New and existing guests'.

Invite external users

Send guest invitations from the Microsoft Entra admin center or directly share the SharePoint site by entering the external user's email address.

Manage permissions

Once the guest accepts the invitation, navigate to your SharePoint site's permission settings and add the guest user to the appropriate SharePoint groups to grant them access to internal resources.

Configure Microsoft Entra B2B Collaboration for SharePoint

Cross-Tenant Limitations: Standard SharePoint does not provide a completely unified identity, group view, and feed experience across tenants. Testing the design before full deployment is highly recommended.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Looking for a simpler way to collaborate? Try WPS Office

While Microsoft 365 offers complex enterprise solutions like Entra B2B, small teams and individuals often need a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for document sharing. WPS Office provides an easy-to-use, free suite for document editing and team collaboration with seamless Microsoft format compatibility.

1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installer for your operating system.
2. Install the software: Run the downloaded file and follow the simple on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
3. Start collaborating: Open WPS Office, create or import your documents, and use the built-in sharing features to easily collaborate with external users.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx).Free and lightweight office suite with a familiar user interface.Built-in cloud storage and easy document sharing without complex tenant or server configurations.Supports real-time co-editing and seamless collaboration for agile teams.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can external users see my organization's Microsoft 365 feed?

Currently, standard SharePoint and Microsoft 365 do not support a fully unified feed integration across different tenants for B2B guest users.

Do external users need a new password for our SharePoint site?

No, with Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration, external users sign in using their own organization's credentials, eliminating the need to manage secondary passwords.

How do I manage permissions for Entra B2B guests?

Once a guest user accepts the B2B invitation, you can add them to standard SharePoint groups (such as Members or Visitors) just like you would with internal users.

What if I only want to share a specific document instead of a whole SharePoint site?

You can use SharePoint's file-level or folder-level sharing links to grant specific access without adding the external user to the broader site's permission groups.

Document & File Issues