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How can I prevent members from adding existing guests to a Microsoft Teams Group Chat?

DAVAADEMBEREL PҮREVDORJ 0 Reputation points
2026-01-19T03:25:38.9266667+00:00

I am an IT Admin managing Microsoft Teams for my organization. We use Group Chats (not Team Channels) for collaboration between employees and external guests.

I need to prevent my internal employees (Members) from adding existing guests (guests already in our Entra ID directory) to these group chats.

Here is my current configuration:

In Entra ID > External collaboration settings, I have set "Guest invite settings" to: "Only users assigned to specific admin roles can invite guest users".

This successfully blocks employees from inviting new external users.

However, employees can still search for and add existing guests (who are already in our directory) to the Group Chat.

My Question: Is there a specific policy (Teams Messaging Policy or PowerShell command) that prevents members from adding any participants to a Group Chat? Or is there a way to strictly restrict employees from adding guests who are already present in the directory?

I have tried hiding the guest from the Global Address List (GAL), which is a workaround, but I am looking for a permission-based solution if one exists.

Environment:

Microsoft Teams (Work/School)

Guest Access is enabled

  • Using Standard Group Chats (not Teams/Channels) am an IT Admin managing Microsoft Teams for my organization. We use Group Chats (not Team Channels) for collaboration between employees and external guests. I need to prevent my internal employees (Members) from adding existing guests (guests already in our Entra ID directory) to these group chats. Here is my current configuration:
    1. In Entra ID > External collaboration settings, I have set "Guest invite settings" to: "Only users assigned to specific admin roles can invite guest users".
    2. This successfully blocks employees from inviting new external users.
    3. However, employees can still search for and add existing guests (who are already in our directory) to the Group Chat.
    My Question: Is there a specific policy (Teams Messaging Policy or PowerShell command) that prevents members from adding any participants to a Group Chat? Or is there a way to strictly restrict employees from adding guests who are already present in the directory? I have tried hiding the guest from the Global Address List (GAL), which is a workaround, but I am looking for a permission-based solution if one exists. Environment:
    • Microsoft Teams (Work/School)
    • Guest Access is enabled
    • Using Standard Group Chats (not Teams/Channels)
Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Chats | Group chats
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  1. Vasil Michev 125.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-19T06:55:19.6366667+00:00

    You can configure "ethical wall" type of solution via information barriers: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/information-barriers-teams

    This will require configuring multiple "segments" of users, depending on your needs, and deciding whether members of the corresponding segments can communicate with each other. The downside is that it will also affect other Teams functionality, not just group chats.

    Another thing to consider is communication compliance policies, though they're more of an aftereffect. They won't prevent communication with existing guests, but allow you to review (a sample of) them for potential violations.

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  2. Jade Ng 9,370 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-19T05:03:59.7433333+00:00

    Dear @DAVAADEMBEREL PҮREVDORJ,

    Good day. Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum!

    First of all, I want to begin by sincerely apologizing for the frustration and inconvenience this issue has caused you.

    Based on the current design of Microsoft Teams, this behavior is a known product limitation.

    At this time, there is no Teams messaging policy, Entra ID setting, or PowerShell command that can:

    • Prevent internal users from adding participants to standard Microsoft Teams group chats, or
    • Specifically block internal users from adding existing guest users (guests already present in Entra ID) to a group chat.

    The Guest invite settings in Entra ID only control the creation of new guest objects. Once a guest user already exists in your directory, Microsoft Teams treats them as a selectable directory user. As a result, internal users can still search for and add those existing guests to group chats.

    I understand that this limitation can be challenging for organizations with stricter governance requirements. Your feedback has been duly noted and is highly valued, as it provides with essential insights to continue improving and refining the products and services in the future. In this case, I sincerely recommend you go to Feedback community to vote this similar feedback: (find out similar feedback, if not provide the feedback forum link Ideas · Community). Our product team is in charge of the site, and they constantly check customer reviews and feedback. The higher votes, the more attention the related team will pay on. And a lot of the features are developed and improved based on customer feedback. 

    Please notice and accept my apologies that as moderators in the community, we are not supported for the product design and have limited resources for the advanced info for Microsoft products. To help you send your feedback and requirement to the related development team, we have redirected you to the correct path. 

    As I have already reported to the product team, if any updates or announcements are made regarding this feature, I will make sure to share them with you as soon as possible.

    Again, I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

    Your understanding and co-operation are highly appreciated. Thank you for your precious time. Have a nice day!

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