Extend or remove guest access in OneDrive and Teams

At Bowdoin, external guest access to OneDrive and Microsoft Teams automatically expires after 180 days, and owners are emailed beforehand to approve extensions or remove access. You can renew or revoke access through the My Access portal or directly in Teams, and in OneDrive by managing links or individual permissions; re-sharing starts a new 180-day period.

Questions

• What happens when external sharing in Microsoft 365 expires after 180 days?
• How do I extend a guest’s access to my OneDrive files or my Microsoft Team?
• How can I remove a guest’s access before the 180-day expiration?
• What email or prompts will I see about access expiration for OneDrive or Teams?
• How do I review and renew guest access for my Team or shared OneDrive folder?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students who own content in OneDrive for work or school or who are owners of a Microsoft Team. External sharing (guest access) is allowed for 180 days. Before access expires, owners receive an email to review guests and either extend or remove their access. The steps below use Microsoft 365 on the web.

Resolution

At Bowdoin, external guest access to shared OneDrive items and Microsoft Teams expires after 180 days unless you extend it. As the owner, you will receive an email before access expires prompting you to review guests. If you do nothing, guest access ends automatically at 180 days.

Extend or remove guest access for a Microsoft Team (via the My Access portal)

1. Open the review email you receive about expiring access and click Review access, or go to My Access portal.
2. Sign in with your Bowdoin account if asked.
3. Select Access reviews, then choose the review with your Team or group name.
4. For each guest listed:
   • Choose Approve to extend access for another 180 days.
   • Choose Deny to remove access now.
5. Optionally enter a reason, then click Submit.
6. Approved guests keep access; denied guests are removed from the Team and its files.

Learn more: Review access in the My Access portal.

Remove a guest from your Team immediately (in Microsoft Teams)

1. Open Microsoft Teams and go to your Team.
2. Select More options (three dots) next to the Team name, then click Manage team.
3. On the Members tab, find the guest and click Remove.

Learn more: Add or remove members in Microsoft Teams.

Extend or remove external access to OneDrive files or folders (on the web)

1. Go to OneDrive for work or school on the web and sign in.
2. Select the file or folder you shared, then click Manage access.
3. To change or remove a sharing link:
   • Under "Links", select the link. To extend, choose the calendar icon, pick a new expiration date (up to the allowed limit), and click Apply.
   • To end sharing, click Remove link.
4. To change or remove a specific person’s access:
   • Under "People with access", select the dropdown next to the guest’s name.
   • Choose a different permission (for example, Can view) or select Stop sharing to remove access.
   • If a date picker appears next to the guest, use it to set a new expiration date, then click Save.
5. Confirm the updated expiration date or that the guest or link no longer appears.

Learn more: Stop or change sharing for OneDrive or SharePoint.

If you miss the deadline

• If you do not take action, access expires automatically at 180 days. Guests lose access to your Team and any shared files.
• You can re-share with the guest at any time. This starts a new 180-day period.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you can chat with Bowdoin Bot of contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk by phone at (207) 725-3030 or in person at the Tech Hub in Smith Union.