Guest accounts are useful when clients, suppliers, or contractors need access to Teams, SharePoint, or another Microsoft 365 resource. The problem comes later, when the project ends but the invitation remains active.
Review record: guest, resource, owner, purpose, and end date
Before you start
Export or review the guest-user list in Microsoft Entra. For each person, record the email address, resource or group, business owner, last useful activity, and project end date. Do not remove an account simply because the name is unfamiliar.
The person still needs access for current work.
The project ended or the invitation is no longer justified.
Access remains useful, with a new review date.
Follow these steps
Gather their groups, sites, and team memberships.
Ask the person responsible for the shared work.
Remove only the access that is no longer needed.
Save the decision and next review date.
Send the list to the team or site owner and ask for Keep, Remove, or Extend with a new date. Remove access from the group, Team, or site where it was granted. Delete the guest account only after confirming it is no longer needed anywhere else.
Check your result
- Every remaining guest has a business owner.
- Shared links are reviewed as well as group membership.
- Removal does not interrupt another active project.
- The next review date is on the calendar.
Repeat the review every quarter and give every new guest an owner and an expected end date. That turns cleanup into a small routine instead of a disruptive investigation.