[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.