Why Is Microsoft Planner Removing Access From Guests?

Question

I have external guests that help with my organization, however, they lose access to only the Planner after about a week. They have still have access and can use other features like the OneDrive just not the Planner. I checked my settings and guests are not set to expire after a certain amount of days pass.

In addition, on my end it still shows their email under "People" in the team even when they lose access on their end.

I've been removing them from the team and re-adding guests when they lose access, however, this time it's not working.

Please let me know the best way to remedy this.

Answer 1

Dear Sarah, 

Good day to you! Thank you for your response. 

Based on your description, the issue appears to involve external guests using personal Microsoft accounts who initially have access to Planner but lose it after several days, despite still being listed under “People” in the Team and retaining access to other services like OneDrive. 

Here are our observations and recommended next steps: 

1. Guest Account Type 
   Since the guests are using personal Microsoft accounts, Planner access may be more sensitive to how those accounts are provisioned and maintained within your Microsoft 365 Group. While personal accounts can be added as guests, Planner access requires that the guest be an active member of the underlying Microsoft 365 Group, not just the Team.
2. Group Membership Validation 
   Although you’ve confirmed that guests are added through Outlook, we recommend having your Microsoft 365 administrator verify their membership directly in the Microsoft 365 admin center or via PowerShell. In some cases, guests may appear in the Team but not be fully provisioned in the Group, which can affect Planner access.
3. Error Message 
   The message “[email address] isn't in our system” typically indicates that the guest account is no longer recognized as a valid member of the Group. This could be due to a silent removal, a provisioning issue, or a background policy that affects guest lifecycle.
4. Access Policies 
   Even if tenant-wide guest expiration is disabled, it’s possible that group-level access reviews or expiration policies (configured in Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure AD) are in place. These can remove guests from specific groups without affecting their overall directory presence.
5. Re-adding Guests 
   If removing and re-adding guests is no longer restoring access, it may indicate that the guest object in Azure AD is in a conflicted or expired state. In such cases, we recommend:  
   • Removing the guest from both the Team and the Microsoft 365 Group.
   • Deleting the guest object from Azure AD (if permitted).
   • Re-inviting the guest using the Microsoft 365 Group interface or Azure AD portal.
6. Escalation 
   If the issue persists after these steps, we recommend that your Microsoft 365 administrator open a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. This will allow our engineering team to investigate further, including any recent changes to guest access behavior in Planner.

We understand how important it is to maintain consistent access for your collaborators and appreciate your patience as we work toward a resolution. 

 Best regards, 

Jay-Tr - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hi Jay-TR,

Thank you for your response! Here is more information:

1. The guests are using personal accounts
2. I believe they are in the group. To elaborate: I created a group on Outlook and invited its members to the Microsoft Planner.
3. I won't share a screenshot as it contains my guests' email, but here is the exact text "[email address] isn't in our system. Make sure you typed it correctly". I know it should be in the system as he has been able to log in with that email previously.
4. I don't believe so
5. No
6. Yes
7. Yes, I am re-adding them to the entire group through outlook.

I hope these details help. Feel free to let me know if additional elaboration is needed.

Answer 3

Dear Sarah, 

Good day to you! Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Community. 

To better assist you and provide proper solutions, please provide us the following details: 

1. Guest Account Type 
   Are the affected guests using personal Microsoft accounts (e.g., @outlook.com) or organizational accounts (e.g., @company.com)? Planner access may be restricted for personal accounts unless explicitly invited and configured.
2. Group Membership 
   Are the guests added only to the Microsoft Team, or are they also members of the underlying Microsoft 365 Group? Planner requires membership in the Microsoft 365 Group to function properly.
3. Error Details 
   What specific error message or behavior do guests encounter when trying to access Planner? If possible, please provide a screenshot or the exact wording.
4. Access Review Policies 
   Is your organization using Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) access reviews or guest expiration policies at the group level? These may override tenant-wide settings and remove access silently.
5. Conditional Access Policies 
   Are there any Conditional Access or compliance policies in place that might restrict Planner access for guest users?
6. Browser and Cache 
   Have the guests tried accessing Planner using a different browser or incognito/private mode? Have they cleared their browser cache?
7. Manual Re-Addition 
   When you remove and re-add guests, are you also re-adding them to the Microsoft 365 Group, not just the Team?

Once we have answers to these questions, we can better determine whether the issue is related to account type, group membership, policy configuration, or a service-specific limitation. 

Please let us know, and we’ll continue assisting you. 

Best regards, 

Jay-Tr - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist