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How to Export All Members from a SharePoint Community

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to access and export the complete membership list of a SharePoint community, as the default group list is empty or displaying fewer members than the expected count.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to export a full member list from a large SharePoint community.
Observed behavior: The SharePoint community shows approximately 1,900 members in total, but the user list only displays a subset (e.g., 1,250 members) or appears empty, preventing a complete export.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft 365 Global Administrator or SharePoint Administrator privileges before attempting to export complete group member lists.

Solution 1Recommended

Export Members via Microsoft 365 Admin Center

The most straightforward method for administrators to get a complete list of community members.

The Microsoft 365 admin center provides a centralized UI to manage and export group members, bypassing the display limitations often found on the front-end SharePoint site.

Log in to the Admin Center

Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center and log in using your administrator credentials.

Navigate to Teams and groups

On the left-hand navigation menu, expand 'Teams and groups' and select 'Active teams and groups'.

Locate the SharePoint Group

Search for your specific SharePoint community group in the list and click on its name to open the group details pane.

Export the Member List

Navigate to the 'Members' tab within the group details and select the option to export the member list to a CSV file.

Solution 2

Retrieve Full Membership List using PowerShell

Ideal for bypassing UI limitations and retrieving exact member counts for large Microsoft 365 groups.

Solution 3

Verify Users in the SharePoint Simple Users List

A quick way to verify if users are recognized by the site collection.

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Manage Your Exported Data with WPS Office

After exporting your SharePoint member lists to CSV formats, you can easily view, filter, and analyze the data using WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, free, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website and download the free WPS Office suite.
2. Open WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheet from your desktop.
3. Import your CSV: Click File > Open, select your exported SharePoint member CSV file, and use the powerful data tools to sort and analyze your community members.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .csv) formats for seamless data analysis.Free and lightweight suite including Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation, and PDF tools.Familiar, intuitive user interface that requires no learning curve.Built-in advanced filtering and data sorting tools ideal for large member lists.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my SharePoint group list show fewer members than the total count?

SharePoint UI often limits the number of items displayed for performance reasons. Large groups (e.g., over 1,000 members) might not render fully in the standard site view, requiring admin center exports or PowerShell to see the complete list.

Can a standard user export a SharePoint member list?

Standard users can typically only view the members visible in the site's front end. Exporting the complete backend list usually requires Microsoft 365 Administrator or Site Owner permissions.

How do I open the exported SharePoint member list CSV file?

The exported CSV file can be opened with any standard spreadsheet software, such as WPS Spreadsheet or Microsoft Excel, where you can easily sort, format, and filter the member data.

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