Setup and Manage Access Request Settings in SharePoint Online/2013/2016

In the SharePoint tutorial, we will discuss what is the access request settings feature in SharePoint 0nline/2013/2016? How to set up access request settings in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016. Also, I will show how to manage access request with external users. How users resend the access request and how users can withdraw the access request before SharePoint owner accepts the request.

Access Request Settings in SharePoint Online/2013/2016

Access Request is the good feature of SharePoint Online/2013/2016. SharePoint manage access effectively, if a user does not have access to a SharePoint site, then they can not see the content of the site and will get an access denied feature.

If access request feature is enabled then users can request for access to a SharePoint site. Once user requests for access, then the SharePoint site owner will get notified and the site owner will accept or reject the request. The site owner can able to ask the user through a message “why the user wants to use the site” before approving him.

Enable Access Request Settings in SharePoint 2013/2016/Online

To use access request settings, you have to enable access request settings in SharePoint 2013/2016/Online.

• Open SharePoint site, Go to “Site Settings” Click on “Site permissions”

• In the Site Permissions page click on “Access Request Settings” from the ribbon under PERMISSIONS tab.

In the “Access-Request Settings” page, we can able to see below options:

• Allow members to share the site and individual files and folders
• Allow access requests

If we enable the “Allow members to share the site and individual files and folders” then automatically allow the user to Share the site and files or folder to others.

Below “Allow members to Share the site and individual files and folders” we can able to see “Allow members to invite others to the site members group, Raju Members”.

In the “Allow members to invite others to the site members group, Raju Members” option which is enabled by default. In this option allow the user to invite others to the group.

Allow access requests:

If we disable the “Allow access requests” then when the new user who doesn’t have access to the site then when he logged in to the site then he will get “Access Denied”.

When the “Allow access requests” is enabled.

Below “Allow access requests” We can able two see two radio button option.

If we select Raju Owner then all the request which is sent by the user who does not have the permission will go to “Raju owner”.

We can add an e-mail address to whom the request will send but we have to remember one thing we can add the E-mail address but the people should be of “Raju Owner group”.

And when we enable “Allow access requests” we can see one more thing one “Include a custom message to the users who see access request page”.When the owner added some message then the user who wants the access can able to see the message.

Here I have added the message“Justify the reason why you want this site”. Click on OK.

When a user opened who does not have permission for this site, they can able to see “You need permission to access this site”.

Below “You need permission to access this site” we can able to see the message which is added by Owner in “Include a custom message to users who can access request page”. The user can write the message in the message box and click on “Request Access“.

How to Show Access Requests and Invitations?

SharePoint Site Owners can see all the requests from the Site Settings page. Open Site Settings page of the SharePoint site and then you can see a link as “Access requests and invitations” like below:

When the site owner opens the SharePoint Online site and goes to Site permissions page. owners can able to see “Show access requests and Invitations” like below:

While clicking on “Show access requests and Invitations”, Site Owners can able to see all the pending request.

We can able to see User2 send a request and two option are there Approve and Decline.

 

If site owner approves the request, then the user will get access to the SharePoint site, else user will not have access to the site and users will get access denied page when tries to access the site in the browser.

When the owner of the site “Approve” the request the user will directly add to the site. Here the user directly added to the “Development site”.

When the site owner approves the user who does not have access the group then the user directly add to Members group.

Note:

The user who is a site collection Administrator, Company Administrator, or a member of site owner group has permission to Approve Or Reject the access request.

One more thing has to remember, Suppose one user belongs to the site owner group and he removed from the Site owner group and later added to the group, then the user has no permission to the Access Request page.

Share the site or site list and library with External User

When we share the site with the external user, send it in  “Grant Permission” of SharePoint site.

I have shared the site with an external user through Gmail. The user will get a page like below.

The user can open the site and can able to see also Access “Request Settings” page.

Withdraw access request before accepting the request from SharePoint Site Owner

Some time site owner shares the site and file or document with the external user before accepted it if the owner wants to withdraw the invitation then follow below things.

• Open SharePoint Online site and go to Site Settings.
• Click on “Access requests and invitations” which is present under “Users and Permission”.
• In the “Access requests and invitations” page we can able to see all the history list. Select the item and Click on “Withdraw” which is present under “ACCESS REQUEST”.

When the external user accepted the invitation already and we want to remove their access from our site, then we can do by removing them from the SharePoint Permission group to which we assigned them. Our office 365 admin or SharePoint Online admin can remove the external user from the list of uses from the environment.

Resend Access Request to SharePoint Site Owner

Sometimes we send an invitation to an external user and the external user did not accept the request with 7 days then it will expire. If still, we want to send invitation again to the external user then we need to go for Resend the Access Request.

We will get Resend the Access Request option from below process.

• Open SharePoint Site and Go to Site Settings.
• Click on “Access requests and invitations” which is present under “Users and Permission”.
• In the “Access requests and invitations” page we can able to see all the history list. Select the item and Click on “Resend” which is present under “ACCESS REQUEST”.

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Conclusion

This SharePoint Online tutorial, I have explained what is access request settings feature in SharePoint Online/2013/2016. How can we enable access request settings in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016?

Also, I have shown how site owners can see all the site requests in SharePoint? How a site owner can approve/reject a site request in SharePoint 2013/2016/Online. How to share a site, contents like list or library with external users in SharePoint Online or SharePoint 2013/2016.

I have also explained how a site owner can withdraw access request before accepting the request. And a how to resend access request again for a SharePoint site in SharePoint.