Add Guests to Microsoft Teams at UIW
Collaborating with colleagues outside of UIW? You can invite them into our Microsoft Teams environment as guests for full access to team resources, or allow them to interact as guest users for chat and calls only. While this access supports collaborative projects, the registered guest experience in Teams meetings may prompt users to authenticate periodically, causing interruptions in the meeting experience. We recommend weighing your needs and avoiding guest registration for individuals who only need to attend Teams meetings.
What is Guest Access?
Guest users are people outside the UIW system invited to join our Microsoft Teams system. They can:
- Join teams and channels.
- View shared files and discussions.
- Attend meetings in a limited capacity.
Unlike external or anonymous users, guests appear in the Microsoft directory and must switch to the university-registered login via Teams to access content.
Quick Steps: Add a Guest to a Team at UIW
- Open the Microsoft Teams app (Desktop or via Cardinal Apps)
- Locate the team, then select More options
next to the Team name
- Add member
- Enter the guest's email address.
- Anyone with a business or consumer email account, such as Outlook, Gmail, or others, can join your team as a guest. Select their email again to confirm.
Add your guest's name by selecting Add (name) as a guest?. Be sure to do this now—you’ll need the help of an IT admin to do it later.
Guest Experience
Once added to a Team or Group at UIW, guests will receive a welcome email invitation that includes some information and a direct link to join the Team. Learn more about what the guest experience is like.
FAQ: Add Guests to Microsoft Teams at UIW
How do I identify a Guest in a Team or Meeting?
You can tell if someone is a guest by looking anywhere their name appears—the word “Guest” appears after it. If you are a Team owner, you can also see everyone’s roles in the Members tab of a team. Go to the team name, and select More options > Manage team Settings > Members.
What can guests do in Meetings?
There are some features in Microsoft Teams Meetings that guests cannot participate in, though they can do all the foundational activities such as sharing a screen, joining breakout rooms, etc. We recommend weighing your needs and avoiding guest registration for individuals who only need to attend Teams meetings. Reference the Microsoft Teams External Accounts and Feature Availability guide to learn more.
What can guests do in my Team?
Guests have fewer capabilities than team members or team owners, but there's still a lot they can do. Reference the Team owner, member, and guest capabilities guide to learn about guest capabilities as a part of a Team.
