Everyone Except External Users: Employee SharePoint Access

Last Updated on September 23, 2023

If only there was a way to add everyone on a site easily…

Well, there actually is! Microsoft created default groups that will enable you to quickly add users to a SharePoint site.

In this article, I’ll explain the everyone except external users group and how to add this group to a site.

Let’s get started.

What is the everyone except external users group?

The everyone except external users access is perfect for employees (which is why I titled this article as it is).

This group is one of the default groups created in a Microsoft 365 group (together with the everyone group).

From the name itself, the everyone except external users group includes everyone in the organization except external users.

Now, technically speaking, as per recent update from Microsoft, the everyone group won’t include external users anymore.

This is their official announcement on it:

Starting on March 23, 2018, external users will no longer be granted the Everyone, All Authenticated Users, or All Forms Users claims by default.

However, external users can still be added to the everyone group, and they will have access to content shared in the group.

For this reason, I still prefer (and tell my clients so) that the EEEU group is better when giving employees access to sites.

Related: How to Share Files on OneDrive With External Users (Guide)

How to add everyone except external users to a SharePoint site

There are at least three methods you can use to add your employees to a site:

1. Share site

The easiest method is by sharing the site directly with the group.

Navigate to your site and do the following:

• Click the gear icon
• Hit the site permissions link

Depending on the type of site:

• Hit the share site button (communication site)
• Click add members > share site only (team site)

On the next page, enter the name of the group or even the first word (the system will search the groups that match your input).

Click the everyone except external users option:

You can see from the screenshot above that when you add this group to a Microsoft 365 team site, you will receive a reminder.

This is why I prefer this group rather than the more general one — the everyone group — since you or an admin might’ve added external users.

Related: Types of Groups in Microsoft 365: Comparing Groups

2. Site permissions

This next option is perfect if you want to be more careful.

That’s because making the changes in the site permissions will allow you to specify which security group you want to add the EEEU group.

Navigate to the site and do these:

• Click the gear icon
• Hit the site permissions option

On the permissions panel, click the advanced permissions settings link at the bottom:

The next screen will show you the permission groups that exist or have access to the site.

You have two options here:

• Add the group to the visitors group (read only)
• Add the group to the members group (with edit)

In certain sites where selected users should only have edit access, it’s preferable to add the EEEU group to the members group.

For this, click the site + members group from the list:

On the next screen:

• Click the new button
• Select the only button available (add users)

On the dialogue box that opens:

• Type the group’s name in the field
• Click everyone except external users
• Hit the share button

3. PowerShell

Lastly, you can also use PowerShell to add everyone except external users to the site visitors group in a specific SharePoint Online site.

For PowerShell, use the code below (credits here):

#Load SharePoint CSOM Assemblies
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll"
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\16\ISAPI\Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll"
  
#Set Variables
$SiteURL = "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename"
   
#Get Credentials to connect
$Cred = Get-Credential
   
Try {
    #Setup the context
    $Ctx = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientContext($SiteURL)
    $Ctx.Credentials = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.SharePointOnlineCredentials($Cred.UserName,$Cred.Password)
  
    #Get the default visitors groups of the site
    $VisitorsGroup = $ctx.web.AssociatedVisitorGroup
    $Ctx.load($VisitorsGroup)
    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
 
    #Resolve User Name by Display Name
    $Principal = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Utilities.Utility]::ResolvePrincipal($Ctx, $Ctx.Web, "Everyone except external users", "All", "All", $Null, $True)
    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
    $User = $Ctx.Web.EnsureUser($Principal.Value.LoginName)
    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
 
    #Add user to the group
    $VisitorsGroup.Users.AddUser($User) | Out-Null
    $Ctx.ExecuteQuery()
}
catch {
    write-host "Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" -foregroundcolor Red
}

You can also use PnP PowerShell.

Here’s the code:

#Config Parameter
$SiteURL = "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename"
 
#Connect to PnP Online
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $SiteURL -Credentials (Get-Credential)
 
#Get the Group to Add - Default Visitors group of the site
$Group = Get-PnPGroup -AssociatedVisitorGroup
 
#Add Everyone except External Users to Visitors group
Add-PnPGroupMember -Identity $Group -LoginName "everyone except external users"

How do you feel about the everyone except external users group? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Need business help? Send an inquiry through the contact form found here and I’ll get back to you shortly.