MC1546409 - Microsoft Teams: Retirement of off-network invitations to Teams Free
Microsoft 365 Message Center announcement MC1546409.
MS Message Center's Summary
Microsoft is retiring the off network invitation feature for Teams Free accounts starting in December 2026 and completing by late December 2026. Users will no longer be able to send email or chat link invites to external people to create new Teams Free accounts from within chats. Existing federation and collaboration remain fully functional. Administrators should review internal support documentation to ensure users are aware that external participants must create accounts independently before being added to conversations.
- Administrator impact
- No direct administrator action is required.
- End user impact
- Users can no longer invite external contacts to create new Teams Free accounts directly through email or chat link flows.
- Importance
- 3/10: The change requires updating user documentation and alters external communication workflows but causes no technical service disruption.
Microsoft Summary
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.
- Message Center ID
- MC1546409
- Category
- plan For Change
- Severity
- normal
- Services
- Microsoft Teams
- Tags
- Retirement
- Published
- 2026-11-10
- Last updated
- 2026-11-10
- Expires
- 2027-02-28
[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.