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Can an External Guest Send Email as a Microsoft 365 Group?
Question details
The user wants to know if it is possible for an external guest member to send emails using a Microsoft 365 group's email address.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An external collaborator needs to send messages as or on behalf of the Microsoft 365 group they are invited to.
- Observed behavior
- The external guest can successfully receive group messages and access shared resources, but lacks the ability to send emails as or on behalf of the group.
Verify your Microsoft 365 admin privileges, as modifying user account types, provisioning licenses, or adjusting Exchange permissions requires global or Exchange administrator rights.
Convert the External Guest to an Internal User Account
Because Microsoft 365 strictly restricts 'Send As' and 'Send on Behalf' permissions to internal users, you must replace the external guest with an approved internal, mail-enabled identity.
Microsoft Exchange architecture currently does not support granting send permissions to external guests for security and compliance reasons. To resolve this, the guest must be provided with a dedicated internal account within your organization's tenant.
Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to 'Users' > 'Active users', and click 'Add a user' to create an internal account for the collaborator.
During the account creation process, ensure you assign a Microsoft 365 license that includes Exchange Online so the user has an active mailbox capable of sending mail.
Go to 'Teams & groups' > 'Active teams and groups'. Select the target Microsoft 365 group, click the 'Settings' tab, and select 'Send as permissions' or 'Send on behalf permissions'.
Click 'Add permissions', search for the newly created internal user account, select them, and save your changes. The user can now send emails from the group address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't guest users be granted 'Send As' permissions in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft Exchange strictly limits 'Send As' and 'Send on Behalf' capabilities to authenticated, licensed internal mailboxes to prevent email spoofing and maintain organizational security compliance.
Can I use a shared mailbox to bypass this restriction for external guests?
No. The same architectural limitation applies to shared mailboxes. External guests cannot send emails from a shared mailbox; they still require a licensed internal account to utilize send permissions.
How do I check who currently has 'Send As' permissions for a group?
In the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to Teams & groups > Active teams and groups. Click on your group, go to the Settings tab, and view the users listed under the 'Send as permissions' section.
