License & Subscription Issues

How to Restrict Viva Engage Access to a Specific Group

Aamir Naveed Akram Sep 25, 2026 870 views

Question details

The organization needs to restrict Viva Engage access and default email notifications strictly to members of a designated group.

How to Restrict Viva Engage Access to a Specific Group

Product: Microsoft Viva Engage
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: An administrator wants to prevent unauthorized employees from accessing the Viva Engage network and receiving its automated emails.
Observed behavior: By default, users may have open access to Viva Engage, and the organization wishes to lock down the platform to only a specifically licensed group of users.

Before you start

Ensure you have Global Administrator or Viva Engage Network Administrator privileges in your Microsoft 365 environment before modifying license and security settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Manage Licenses and Enable Security Blocks in the Admin Center

To effectively restrict access, you must remove Viva Engage Core licenses from unauthorized users and enforce a security policy that blocks access for unlicensed users.

Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) access is tied to the Microsoft 365 licensing structure. Simply removing the license is not always enough; you must also configure the Viva Engage network settings to actively block unlicensed users from viewing the network and receiving emails.

Remove licenses via Microsoft 365 admin center

Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. Go to 'Users' > 'Active users', select the users who should not have access, and uncheck the 'Viva Engage Core' (or Yammer) license under the 'Licenses and apps' tab.

Access Viva Engage Network Admin Center

Navigate to the Viva Engage admin center by clicking the gear icon in the Viva Engage web interface and selecting 'Network Admin'.

Open Security Settings

In the left-hand navigation pane of the Network Admin Center, locate and click on 'Security settings'.

Enforce the block on unlicensed users

Scroll down to the access controls and check the option to 'Block Office 365 users without Yammer licenses' (or Viva Engage Core licenses). Save your changes.

Verify email access restrictions

Once the block is enforced, monitor and verify that unauthorized users are no longer able to log into the Viva Engage network and have stopped receiving automated Viva Engage emails.

Manage Licenses and Enable Security Blocks in the Admin Center

Tip for Enterprise Environments: For large organizations, consider using group-based licensing in Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) to automatically assign the Viva Engage Core license only to the specific security group you want to grant access to.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Boost Productivity with WPS Office

While you manage your organization's Microsoft 365 security settings and Viva Engage access, consider WPS Office as a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative for your daily document needs. It provides an intuitive interface for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations without heavy administrative overhead.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats including Word, Excel, and PowerPointLightweight architecture requiring minimal system resources for fast performanceFree to use with a familiar, easy-to-navigate user interfaceBuilt-in PDF editing toolkit for seamless document management

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to users when their Viva Engage license is removed?

Once their license is removed and the security block is enforced in the Network Admin Center, users will immediately lose access to the Viva Engage network and will no longer receive default Viva Engage digest emails.

Can I automate Viva Engage license assignment for just the specific group?

Yes. If your organization uses Microsoft Entra ID Premium, you can set up group-based licensing. You can assign the Microsoft 365 license to the group and ensure the Viva Engage service plan is turned on for that specific group while leaving it disabled for others.

Will blocking unlicensed users from Viva Engage affect their access to other Microsoft 365 services?

No, enforcing the block for unlicensed users within the Viva Engage Network Admin Center only restricts access to Viva Engage. Users will retain access to all other assigned Microsoft 365 applications, such as Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint.

Login & Account Issues