Request access to a SharePoint site
If you do not have access to a SharePoint site, you can ask for it, and the request goes to the people who manage the site. The site's access request settings decide who receives it, and an owner approves or declines it from Settings, Site contents, Access requests. When someone who is not an owner uses Share on a site, that also creates an access request for the owner.
This page covers who receives a request for each type of site, how owners set requests up, how to approve or decline one, and why a request may not reach anyone.
Who receives the request
By default, the request goes to a group of people that depends on the site type:
| Site type | Default recipients |
|---|---|
| Communication site | Members of the Owners group |
| Modern site without a Microsoft 365 group | Members of the Owners group |
| Classic site | Members of the Owners group |
| Group-connected site, including a Teams site | The group administrators |
| OneDrive | The primary site administrator |
| Project site | The primary site administrator |
An owner can instead send requests to a specific person or to a distribution list.
For owners: turn on and set up access requests
- Open Settings, then Site permissions.
- Under Site sharing, choose Change how members can share.
- Under Access requests, turn on Allow access requests.
- Choose who receives the requests: the site owners, or a specific email address for a person or distribution list.
- Optionally add a custom message that appears on the access request page, for example to say who to contact.
- Select Save.
Pointing requests at a distribution list that someone monitors means a request does not wait for one person who is away.
On SharePoint Server 2019 the path is Settings, Site permissions, Advanced permission settings, then Access Request Settings on the Permissions tab, where you select Allow access requests, add an email address for a user or distribution list and select OK.
For owners: approve or decline a request
- Open Settings, then Site contents, then Access requests. This button appears only when there are pending requests.
- Under Pending requests, open the ellipsis menu for the request.
- To approve, choose the permission level under Permissions. You can add a message to the person who asked.
- Select Approve or Decline.
Select Show history to see past requests. People invited through Azure AD B2B appear under Access requests, not under external user invitations.
Why a request may not arrive or open
- Mail-enabled security groups can prevent owners from receiving the request emails.
- Who can open the page: only site collection administrators, SharePoint administrators in Microsoft 365 and members of the default Owners group can use the Access requests page. Someone who used to be in the Owners group and was later given Full Control is denied access to it.
- Guest invitations expire after 90 days. Resending does not extend the window, and expired invitations cannot be resent, so withdraw the invitation from the ellipsis menu before it is accepted if it needs to change.
- A locked site: a site set to NoAccess shows a 403 error unless a redirect URL has been set for the organization. SharePoint site lock states explains the three states.
What to set up so requests get answered
- Send requests to a monitored distribution list rather than one person.
- Add a custom message that tells the person who to contact and what to include.
- Give approvers the correct permission level to grant. SharePoint RBAC explained covers the roles and permission levels.
- Review a site's Access requests history from time to time to see who has been approved and by whom.
Frequently asked questions
How do I request access to a SharePoint site?
Ask for access from the site, or use Share if you can open it. The request goes to the site's owners or to the person or distribution list they set.
Who approves a SharePoint access request?
The site owners by default, or a specific person or distribution list if the owner chose one. For group-connected sites the group administrators receive it, and for OneDrive the primary site administrator.
Where do I see access requests on a SharePoint site?
Select Settings, then Site contents, then Access requests. The button appears only when there are pending requests.
How do I turn on access requests?
Go to Settings, then Site permissions, then Change how members can share, and under Access requests turn on Allow access requests.
Why didn't the site owner get my request email?
Mail-enabled security groups can prevent owners from receiving the emails. The request is still available under Access requests for people who can open that page.
Can a guest request access?
People invited through Azure AD B2B appear under Access requests. Guest invitations expire after 90 days, and an expired invitation cannot be resent.
Who can use the Access requests page?
Site collection administrators, SharePoint administrators in Microsoft 365 and members of the default Owners group.
Related reading
- SharePoint RBAC explained - roles, permission levels and setup.
- SharePoint document library security - permissions inside libraries.
- SharePoint permission levels - Full Control to View Only.
- SharePoint external sharing - sharing with people outside your organization.
- SharePoint site lock states - why a site can return a 403.
- How to create a SharePoint site - team or communication site, templates and address rules.
Mark Smith co-founded SmiKar Software in 2015 and has spent the past decade helping organisations solve Microsoft 365 data management challenges. He works with the SmiKar team to build solutions for SharePoint archiving, storage optimisation, governance and compliance, supporting customers from growing businesses through to Fortune 500 enterprises.
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