how to change a user added/invited to a team as "Member" to instead be a "Guest"

[Rob Ob]

How do i to change a user added/invited to a team as "Member" to instead be a "Guest" and visa versa?  

I'm using the microsoft account [msa, @outlook.com ]  free setup and have tried finding ability to make a team added/invited user permission setting change from "Member" to "Guest" and visa versa in the web app [ https://teams.microsoft.com ] as well as the desktop app [ version 1.1.00.29068 ]. 

In both cases i'm not seeing any option to do this <team> | . . . | manage team | <user> | role column were all i see is an X to remove them and not a drop down to change role setting like i see for my msa entry that owns the msft teams tenant setup.  I've also tried deleting user and re-adding/inviting them but when i do that it only gives me the ability to assign them a permission setting that is the same or higher than the permission setting i initially set them up with, e.g. in case of Member  -- Member or Owner no option to select Guest to downgrade them.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi Rob,

I had to test this tonight in the free version of Teams as I was interested in the outcome.

There is no way to do this through the Teams web app or desktop app. I tried several different ways and none worked. Once you have invited the person Teams sets the user type so if you remove and re-add them just in the Teams app then, as you say, it re-adds them as that user type. However, if you have invited a user in error where they are supposed to be a guest or the other way around then you can do it via the following

1.) Log into https://portal.azure.com
2.) Select Azure Active Directory
3.) On All Users, select and delete the user

Back in Teams, you now have the option to invite them as a member or a guest again.

Please bear in mind that even in Azure AD it is impossible to change the user type from a member to a guest and vice versa - they need removal. In addition, if they have already started collaborating in your Teams environment then you may see some disjointed things (I.e. chat) by removing and re-adding them again. So always stick to the principle that members are co-workers within your Teams organisation and guest are members of other Teams organisations or people outside your organisation.

Hope that helps clarify. If I have answered your question, please set a like on the post and then mark it as the solution. Hope to help you again at some point.

Best, Chris

[#3]

Hi Christopher, 

Thanks for figuring this out.  I do recall an unexpected azure active directory [azuread] entry showing up my portal views recently and wondering why it was there, this now explains where that came from.

Here are the exact steps i followed to carry out what you proposed and it did result in me being able to re-add users as Guests vs Members this time.  Seems like an area of the free offering in desperate need of teams web and/or desktop app UI to cover especially given when just starting out using the msa associated free setup it wasn't readily clear that you don't want to make anyone outside of what you would consider a direct co-worker a member, i.e. default to guest role if you have any concerns.

1.  https://aka.ms/azadm or better still https://aka.ms/aadadm [ todo: msft rep update this to point at https://aad.portal.azure.com/ ] | signin using microsoft account [msa] used for msft teams free setup | profile [ in top right corner ] | switch directories | all directories | select <msa based msft teams free setup created directory name> | favorites [ navigation pane on left ] | azure active directory | users | all users | <select user> + delete user | deleted users | <select deleted user> + delete permanently

2. revisit aka.ms/teams??? -> https://teams.microsoft.com/ | teams | <team you want to add user back to but as Guest vs Member> | manage team | add member | <enter user name> | select "add <username> as a guest" option | add | close

[#4]

In free teams you don’t really have a full azuread so you don’t have guests. Yours guests are basically members of your team in free teams.

[#5]

@Christopher Hoard , this is possible though

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/b2b/user-properties

[#6]

You sure there is not a full Azure AD? I would say you have all the pieces you shoul in an Office 365 tenant, but here we deal with a "Phantom" tenant as Tony Redmond use to call them

[#7]

Hi Adam,

Yes - I now see it is possible via Powershell. However it is noted as follows -

It's possible to convert UserType from Member to Guest and vice-versa by using PowerShell. However, the UserType property represents the user's relationship to the organization. Therefore, you should change this property only if the relationship of the user to the organization changes. If the relationship of the user changes, should the user principal name (UPN) change? Should the user continue to have access to the same resources? Should a mailbox be assigned? We don't recommend changing the UserType by using PowerShell as an atomic activity. Also, in case this property becomes immutable by using PowerShell, we don't recommend taking a dependency on this value.

On the basis of this article, and this article alone, I would say that a simple deletion and recreation is more optimal if you have simply created the user in error and that such a change is only recommended in a scenario where a user has joined or left the organisation and has a continuing relationship with that organisation.

But that is purely my interpretation! Great spot Adam.

Best, Chris

[#8]

@adam deltinger. . . a couple of related questions to the azuread b2c tenant setup that the msa based free teams setup created.

1.  is there a way to attach that azuread b2c tenant to ones existing azure subscription so that you can create azure subscript setups that look for the associated azuread tenant to be bound to the subscription?

2.  is there a way to change the <generated using spaces removed company name that was provided>.onmicrosoft.com part of the namespace associated with this free teams created azuread b2c tenant?   Mine ended up with a <spaces removed company name>123.onmicrosoft.com format presumably to make it unique given existing duplicates but i'd like option to define what that first part of azuread user names I create under that tenant are vs auto-generated unique value.

[#9]

No matter how many times I follow your instructions, exactly as you say, I can ONLY add people as guests. I cannot find any way to add people as members. I'm tired of being frustrated by all this business. There is NO reason all this has to be so complicated.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[#10]

If you are in paid Teams, that's all you can do is add as guests. You only can add members after you go to the Microsoft 365 admin portal, create users and assign licenses. I'm assuming this is the case that you are using a paid tenant.