External collaborator on a 365 group, and emails sent to the group

[TheITDude1]

I created a 365 group for a department, so they can collaborate. I also use the group's email address as a distribution list, encouraged by Microsoft when I tried to create a distro list. 

But here is the rub - a person who is external to our organization is also member of the group so that the department can collaborate with them, but when an email is sent to the group, this external person gets it too, which is not what we want.

How can an external be a member of a group for collaboration without receiving emails sent to the group? At the end of the day, they are external and don't need to be notified of internal things. 

As a patch, I modified the Group's email address, adding "ext" at the end, and created an old-school Distribution list with the department's name only. Is that the only "solution"?

Thanks!

[#2]

Microsoft 365 Groups are based on the premise of "equal access" for all members, which also extends to some Guests scenarios. You should be able to remove the Guest from the group's "subscribers" list in order to prevent messages from being delivered in his inbox, though that will apply to any and all messages addressed to the group.

Here's the relevant cmdlet just in case:

Remove-UnifiedGroupLinks -Links guestID -LinkType subscriber

[#3]

@TheITDude1 

If you're working with a Microsoft 365 Group and have an external collaborator who needs to participate in the group and receive emails sent to it, here's how you can set it up:

1. Add the External Collaborator to the Microsoft 365 Group:

   • Go to your Microsoft 365 admin center or Outlook on the web.
   • Navigate to the Microsoft 365 Group you want to add the external collaborator to.
   • Within the group settings, look for the option to add members or collaborators.
   • Add the external collaborator's email address to the group.

2. Configure External Sharing:

   • Make sure your organization's external sharing settings are appropriately configured to allow external users to join groups or access content.

3. Invitation and Acceptance:

   • The external collaborator will receive an invitation email to join the Microsoft 365 Group.
   • They need to accept the invitation and follow any on-screen prompts to set up their access.

4. Accessing the Group and Emails:

   • Once the external collaborator has accepted the invitation, they should have access to the Microsoft 365 Group.
   • They can access group conversations, files, and other group-related content.
   • Emails sent to the group will be delivered to their email inbox.

5. Review Group Settings:

   • Review the permissions and access levels assigned to the external collaborator within the group.
   • Make sure they have the appropriate level of access based on their role and responsibilities.

It's important to note that allowing external collaborators access to your internal communication and content should be done cautiously to ensure data security and privacy. Be aware of your organization's policies and any potential compliance concerns when sharing information with external parties.

Keep in mind that my knowledge is based on information available up until September 2021, and Microsoft's interfaces and procedures may have changed since then. Always refer to the most up-to-date resources or Microsoft support for accurate instructions.

[#4]

Thank you for replying.
If I understand correctly, by doing this no member of the group would receive emails, correct? If so, this wouldn't work. My premise was to have the Group's email address act as a distribution list, but only for internal members.

[#5]

This is exactly the opposite of what I asked.

[#6]

It's on a per-user basis, you can decide which specific users/guests receive the messages.

[#7]

Thank you so much for this.
I'm trying to do this now, but I'm running into an issue connecting to Exchange Online. I'll troubleshoot that first, then give your recommendation a try (my PowerShell skills are -10). I may have to continue next week, though. I didn't want you to think that I ignored your reply.
I'll report back.

[#8]

Just follow the steps here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/exchange/connect-to-exchange-online-powershell?view=exc...