Teams External Access vs. B2B Direct Connect vs. B2B Collab

Question

I've received conflicting info regarding whether B2B Direct Connect and Teams External Access are the same thing.

Last time I looked into this, they both seemed to rely on the 'Default External Identities' controls from Entra - they were two faces of the same coin.

Now it's not so clear. Can someone clarify?

maskwill · Answer

They are related, but Microsoft Teams External Access, B2B Direct Connect, and B2B Collaboration are three different things.&nbsp;- Teams External Access: Enables users in different organizations to communicate through Teams, such as one-to-one chats and calls. Domain restrictions are managed in the Teams Admin Center.&nbsp;- B2B Direct Connect: An Microsoft Entra cross-tenant access capability primarily used for Teams shared channels. It allows users to collaborate using their home-tenant identities without creating guest accounts.&nbsp;- B2B Collaboration: Allows external users to access resources in another tenant, typically through Guest accounts in the resource tenant.&nbsp;How do Entra settings fit in?Microsoft Entra cross-tenant access settings control trust and access between tenants for supported collaboration scenarios. However, they do not replace the Teams External Access domain allowlist.&nbsp;Bottom line: For guest-free Teams shared-channel collaboration, use B2B Direct Connect. For external one-to-one chats, configure Teams External Access. For broader resource access that uses guest identities, use B2B Collaboration.

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Teams External Access vs. B2B Direct Connect vs. B2B Collab