Security Policy Errors

Which Microsoft 365 Admin Role is Required to Disable External Sway Sharing?

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to know the specific Microsoft 365 administrator role needed to prevent users from sharing Microsoft Sway content with people outside the organization.

Product: Microsoft 365
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Configuring organizational security settings to restrict the external sharing of Sway presentations.
Observed behavior: Needs to identify the correct administrative privileges required to access and modify tenant-wide Sway sharing settings.

Before you start

Verify your current administrative privileges in the Microsoft 365 admin center before attempting to change organizational settings for Microsoft Sway.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a Global Administrator Account to Disable Sway External Sharing

To modify Sway administration settings, including external sharing restrictions, you must have Global Administrator privileges.

Microsoft Sway does not have a dedicated 'Sway Administrator' role. Therefore, modifying tenant-wide settings for Sway requires the highest level of administrative access in Microsoft 365.

Log in to the Admin Center

Navigate to Org Settings

In the left navigation pane, expand 'Settings' and click on 'Org settings'.

Modify Sway Settings

Under the 'Services' tab, scroll down and select 'Sway'. Uncheck the box that says 'Let people in your organization share their Sways with external people' and save your changes.

Request IT Assistance

If you do not have Global Administrator rights, contact your organization's IT department or the current Global Administrator to request this policy change.

Propagation Time: Changes to organizational sharing policies may take some time to propagate across all users in your Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a SharePoint Administrator manage Sway settings?

No, currently, only the Global Administrator role has the permissions required to modify Sway settings in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Standard SharePoint or Exchange administrators do not have access to these specific toggles.

What happens to previously shared Sways if external sharing is disabled?

Once external sharing is disabled at the tenant level, any existing external links to Sways will immediately stop working, and external users will no longer be able to view that content.

Can I disable Sway for specific users instead of the whole organization?

Yes, if you want to prevent specific users from creating or sharing Sways altogether, you can remove the Microsoft Sway license from their individual user profiles in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

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