How to Easily Change Group Permissions in SharePoint (2025)

Last Updated on November 20, 2024

Need to change group permissions?

In this guide, I will show you how to change group permissions in three steps as well as using PowerShell as an alternative.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents:

Prepare to Change Group Permissions
How to Change Group Permissions
Use PowerShell to change group permissions
Best Practices for Managing SharePoint Group Permissions

Prepare to Change Group Permissions

Before you start, make sure you’re ready to make changes.

This means understanding permissions, planning updates, and having the right access.

Here’s what I suggest:

Understand first the current permissions structure
Identify the changes you want to make
Check your access rights
Backup important data (just in case)
Communicate the changes to users

Once you’ve completed these preparatory steps, you’re ready to start changing group permissions in SharePoint.

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How to Change Group Permissions

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Step 1: Access the advanced permissions page

For starters, get to the SharePoint site where the group is located.

Then do the following:

Click the gear icon
Click site permissions

This will open the basic permissions settings for the site.

Click the advanced permissions settings at the bottom:

This section allows you to view and manage who has access to the site and what level of access they have.

⚠️ Note: You can also access this via the site settings page.

Step 2: Identify the group

Within this page, you will see a list of groups and users who have access to the site.

Find the group whose permissions you want to change:

Select that group using the check box (don’t click the name)
Click the edit user permissions icon on the ribbon

select the group and edit the user permissions for that group

⚠️ Note: You can use the search function if your site collection has many groups.

Step 3: Change the permissions

You can review the current permissions assigned to the group on this page.

If you want to add/remove permissions, simply check/uncheck the boxes.

check and uncheck permissions on this page

Don’t forget to click the ok button to save the changes.

In most cases, you might want to create a custom permission level that fits the needs of the group.

Use PowerShell to change group permissions

PowerShell is pretty handy for bulk changes or when integrating scripts for automated management.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Connect to SharePoint Online

Use the Connect-SPOService cmdlet to establish a connection to your SharePoint Online service.

You will need to provide the URL of your SharePoint admin center.

The command looks like this:

Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourdomain-admin.sharepoint.com

After running this command, you will be prompted to enter your admin credentials for SharePoint Online.

⚠️ Note: Don’t forget to run PowerShell in administrator mode.

Step 2: Retrieve the group

Use the Get-PnPGroup cmdlet to retrieve the group you want to modify.

For instance:

$group = Get-PnPGroup -Identity "Your Group Name"

Step 3: Assign permissions

To assign permissions to a group (like the contribute role), you have to use the role name.

For example:

$roleName = "Contribute"
$group = "YourGroupName" # Replace with the actual group name you want to assign permissions to

Set-PnPGroupPermissions -Identity $group -AddRole $roleName

If you’re not sure what role to give (or the role name), you can use the following command:

Get-PnPRoleDefinition

This command will display a list of all role definitions.

You can then verify that the permissions have been updated correctly by using Get-PnPGroupPermissions.

This cmdlet will show the current permissions of the group.

Best Practices for Managing SharePoint Group Permissions

Like anything, following some best practices can help you avoid common pitfalls.

Here’s what I recommend:

Best Practice	Why It Matters	How to Apply It
Assign permissions to groups, not individuals	Simplifies management and reduces errors	Use predefined groups like Owners, Members, or create custom groups.
Review permissions regularly	Keeps access relevant and removes unnecessary rights	Schedule periodic reviews to audit and adjust permissions.
Use specific group names	Provides clarity on the purpose of the group	Name groups based on roles or tasks, like “Finance Team” or “Project Leads.”
Limit Full Control access	Prevents unauthorized or accidental changes	Grant Full Control only to trusted administrators or site owners.
Restrict sensitive data	Protects confidential information from unnecessary exposure	Use permissions like “Restricted Read” for sensitive libraries or documents.