Different Org gets an error message when trying to re-add me as a guest after I had to leave the org previously

Question

A client decided to remove my member account that had used a different email and entered in my personal business email without telling me and marked me as a guest. It caused issues with my personal business teams account that was using the same email they entered. I was having issues with my chat not appearing, files not appearing, and I kept getting a "Sorry, but we're having trouble signing you in" error message when I tried to log in again. There was also an error icon that said "Account Switch Detected" next to my profile pic.

My IT person suggested I leave the org that had added me, and make sure I can still log in to my personal business Teams account that uses the same email and it fixed the chat, files, and sign in problem.

I let the client know and told them they need to re-add me as a guest since I had left there org to fix the issues I was having, but now they said they get an error message and are not able to add me back in with the same email.

For context, I use a MacBook Pro and mainly use the Teams desktop app but was also using the browser app for this other client.

Answer 1

Hi @Althea Castro, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on the details you shared, you previously left the client organization to restore normal access to your own business Teams account, and now the client is receiving an error when they try to invite the same email address back as a guest. I truly appreciate the careful timeline you provided and the steps you already took, because that information makes it much easier to pinpoint the most likely cause.

In most cases, this occurs because the client tenant still has an existing guest identity record associated with your email, or that record remains in the deleted users area and is still blocking a new invitation. Additionally, if the tenant has external collaboration restrictions or cross tenant access policies, the invitation can be rejected even when the email address is valid.

To address this thoroughly, please follow the steps below in order: 

1/ Ask the client admin to remove any existing guest record and clear deleted users 

• The client admin signs in to the Microsoft Entra admin center. 
• They open Users, then search for your email address. 
• If your account appears, they select it and choose Delete user. 
• Next, they go to Users and then Deleted users, search your email again, and select Permanently delete. 
• After that, they wait about 15 to 30 minutes so the directory updates can fully propagate. 

If a guest object still exists, including under deleted users, the tenant can block a new invite because it treats the identity as already present. 

2/ Re invite using the correct guest invitation path and confirm invite permissions (global admin only) 

• The client admin re invites you using one of the supported admin flows: 
  • Microsoft 365 admin center > Users > Guest users > Add a guest user, or 
  • Entra admin center > Users > New user > Invite external user. 
• Then they check External Identities and confirm external collaboration is allowed for your email domain and that guest invitations are permitted by policy. 
• If the tenant uses an allowed list, they add your domain to the allowed list and send the invitation again. 

Even when the old identity record is cleared, tenant policies can still prevent invitations for certain domains or invitation types. 

3/ Accept the invitation in a clean session, then switch tenants in Teams 

• On your Mac, open Safari or Chrome in a private browsing window. 
• Sign in with your personal business account, which should remain your primary Teams identity. 
• Open the invitation email and select Accept invitation from the private window, rather than accepting inside Teams first. 
• After acceptance, open the Teams desktop app, select your profile picture, and use Switch organization or Add another account to access the client tenant. 

The “Account Switch Detected” indicator commonly appears when cached tokens and cookies mix identities across tenants, and a clean session reduces the chance of the same conflict repeating. 

4/ If the error continues, use a controlled workaround to isolate the identity conflict 

• Ask the client admin to invite you using an alternate email address, such as a secondary mailbox or an alias, to confirm whether the block is tied specifically to the original email identity record. 
• If the alternate invite succeeds, you can use that guest identity for this tenant while the client admin reviews their external collaboration and cross tenant access settings for the original address. 
• In parallel, the client admin checks cross tenant access settings to ensure inbound collaboration is allowed for your domain and not restricted by policy. 

When the same email has been converted between member and guest states, a second invitation path can bypass a stuck identity mapping while policies are adjusted. 

If you can share the exact error message the client sees, as well as where they are inviting you from, such as Teams, Microsoft 365 admin center, or Entra admin center, I will tailor the guidance to that specific error and help shorten the time to get you re added. 

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If you have any updates regarding the issue, please feel free to share them with me.      

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation. 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".     

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Answer 2

It seems that the issues you are experiencing are related to the management of guest accounts in Microsoft Teams. When you were removed from the organization and then attempted to be re-added, the error could stem from a few factors:

1. Account Conflict: Since you had previously been added as a guest using a different email, there might be a conflict with your current email address being used for your personal business account. This can lead to issues like the "Account Switch Detected" error you mentioned.
2. Guest Access Settings: The organization you are trying to rejoin may have specific settings regarding guest access that could be preventing them from adding you back. The administrator needs to ensure that their organization allows guest access and that your email is properly invited and accepted.
3. Invitation Process: The client’s IT administrator should manually invite your email address as a guest user into their organization through the Azure Active Directory portal. After the invitation is sent, you will need to accept it via the email you receive to fully provision your guest account.
4. Troubleshooting Steps: If the client continues to experience errors when trying to add you back, they may need to check the Teams Admin Center or SharePoint Admin Center to ensure that guest access is enabled and that there are no restrictions affecting your account.

It is advisable to communicate these points to the client’s IT team to assist them in resolving the issue effectively.

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References:

• Cannot be added to TEAMS CHANNELS - Microsoft Q&A
• Error when a guest user accepts a SharePoint Online invitation by using another account