Forum Discussion
The link can't be sent because at least one recipient isnt valid
Hi all,
When I try to share to "specific people" from OneDrive or SharePoint online I get an error message "The link can't be sent because at least one recipient isn't valid"
It happens with all external users and with all my users in the tenant who try to share with "Specific People"
Any ideas?
Thank you.
43 Replies
Deleted Based on the details you've provided, it's clear that this isn't a simple misconfiguration or user-specific problem, but rather something more systemic affecting the way your SharePoint environment is handling email address validation and external sharing.
While the suggestion to try adding a semicolon after the email address is a valid workaround that has helped others in similar situations, I believe we need to dig deeper to uncover the root cause and implement a more comprehensive solution.
One avenue I would explore is a thorough review of your tenant-level sharing settings, as well as any custom configurations or policies that could be interfering with the normal operation of external sharing. It's possible that there's an underlying issue with the way your environment is set up to handle these types of sharing scenarios, and addressing that at a foundational level may be the key to resolving this persistent problem.
Additionally, I would recommend closely analyzing any network traffic or server-side logs that could provide clues about what's happening behind the scenes when users attempt to share content. A Fiddler trace, as mentioned by one of the previous responses, could be invaluable in this process, as it would allow us to inspect the underlying communication and potentially identify any blocking or validation issues.
Ultimately, I believe that the resolution to this challenge will require a collaborative effort, possibly involving direct engagement with Microsoft Support. Given the tenant-wide nature of the problem, the Support team may have insights or access to diagnostic tools that could shed light on the root cause and guide us towards a lasting solution.
Quick question. If there's just one email address what is the purpose of putting a semicolon behind the email address?
I think, for some reason, it is not allowing to use an email that is used for account recovering.
Someone mentioned that below in some post and when I tried to use another email (gmail), it worked.
The email I was using is my wife's hotmail she uses forever, and it is more than verified, and I use it for account recovering. There's an update for me available. I will install it and see if it solves.
For the suggestion of pressing enter (carriage Return), it keeps showing the "invalid email" message. I've tried ctrl-enter, tab, etc.
Deleted
After the update to my Office 365, nothing changed regarding to this issue.I'm using:
Microsoft® OneNote® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2312 Build 16.0.17126.20078) 64-bitEdition
Windows 11 ProVersion 23H2Installed on 5/17/2022OS build 22635.2915Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22682.1000.0CauTrindade
I have the same issue, but only with certain addresses & these are definitely valid addresses (my son's outlook.com address being one example) . Entering a semi colon after the problem addresses makes no difference . However, some addresses can be added, but none are found when I start typing the addresses. After entering the full address the sharing email does get sent.
I should say that my issues are with the OneDrive application, installed as part of my Office 365 subscription. If I attempt sharing using OneDrive via office.com on the web, the sharing works perfectly with the problem email addresses. Also, when I start typing any email address from my contacts, the autofill kicks in as the addresses are found.
I supported OneDrive in a Corporate environment for years & with any strange issues like this, my advice was always to use the web version, which is much less flaky than the local OneDrive client.
- In my experience this occurs if an external email is entered in domain AD account. Lets say you build an account and it obviously has a domain username, but you put external email in the email field (we do this sometimes with contractors). It will resolve the email to the AD account which, if it isn't licensed for 365 products, won't work. Also, make sure the external email address isn't an alias or something in exchange.
Deleted I had the exact same error. Got it resolved by just adding a semi-colon after each address and it sent successfully.
it works, also it is so unspeakably stupid. only programmers use semi-colons
- hi
Here are a few possible reasons for the error message:
Incorrect email address: Double-check that you've entered the [recipient's email address](https://knowledgeforu.info/) correctly, ensuring there are no spelling mistakes or missing characters.
Invalid recipient: Make sure the email address you're trying to send the link to is a valid email address. It should contain the necessary components, such as a username, the "@" symbol, and a domain name.
Blocked recipient: The recipient's email address may be blocking incoming emails or may have a strict spam filter that is preventing the link from being delivered. You could try reaching out to the recipient through an alternate method to confirm their email address.
Email server issue: It's possible that the error is on the email server's end. In such cases, you could try sending the link again later or contact the email service provider for assistance. - I'm pretty sure the issue most, maybe all, are having is the same as me. You have to type in the email address and then click the grey box just below which will have the typed email address in it. Using a semi colon as others have stated does the same thing as does pressing enter. If the address is left in there in it's raw format it will throw up this error.
I totally agreed with you my problem is solved completely. @Dorado Thankyou so much. Have a nice day to all…
Deleted
I resolved my problem by clicking to add another share.
I think it was looking for a carriage return at the end of the line
- This worked for me as well, except that I added a semi-colon (;) at the end of the email id. Don't understand why this useless error message even when the person I am sharing with is also a hotmail email user.
- Thanks. That worked for me as well.
- StephenRice
Microsoft
Hi Deleted,
Can you post a screenshot (with e-mails blurred out of course :) ) so I can help troubleshoot? Thanks!
Stephen Rice
OneDrive Program Manager II
StephenRice I am having this problem as well. I type in the email for an external user and it keeps bringing up my name. People talked about hitting enter after typing in the email but that just resolves to me. It looks like I have permissions set up correctly but it just doesn't share.
.
- StephenRice
Hi Deleted,
Can you try hitting "Ctrl + K" and see what happens? It looks like the e-mail is unresolved. Let me know if that fixes it (as that will help confirm what the bug is). Thanks!
Stephen Rice
