Microsoft Teams: Retirement of off-network invitations to Teams Free

Microsoft Teams will retire off-network invitations for Teams Free accounts starting December 2026. Users can no longer invite external people via email or chat links to create Teams Free accounts. Existing Teams Free collaboration and federation remain unchanged. No admin action is needed, but user guidance should be updated. What and Why: Microsoft Teams will retire the invitation flow that allows work or school users to invite people who cannot be found in Teams to create a Teams Free account and join a chat. This change retires the off-network invitation flow (via email or sharing a link to chat) only — not federation with Teams Free. Rollout Schedule: Worldwide: We will begin rolling out in early December 2026 and expect to complete by late December 2026. Impact on Your Organization: Who is affected: Users who use the off-network email invitation flow to invite external people to create a Teams Free account and join a chat. Users who user share a link to chat flow to invite external people to create a Teams Free account and join a chat.  Platforms/Services: Microsoft Teams desktop, web and mobile apps What will happen: Users will no longer be able to send these onboarding invitations from Teams chats. People who need a Teams Free account will need to create one independently or collaborate through another supported method. Collaboration with existing Teams Free users remains available, subject to your organization’s external-access policies. This change will take effect automatically. No admin action is required to enable the retirement. Action Required/Recommendations: No admin action is required for this change to take effect. However, we recommend updating user guidance and helpdesk documentation before December 6, 2026, to reflect the following alternatives: For ongoing chat: If recipients do not have a Teams account, they can create a Teams Free account independently or get invited as guests to an existing team. Once their account is discoverable, users can search for their registered email address and start a conversation. For team and channel collaboration: No change. For meetings: No change. Compliance considerations: No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization. […]

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