Share a SharePoint list with a client outside your company

Short answer: yes, if your admin allows external sharing for the company and for the site. Open the list, select Share, enter the client's email, choose Can view, and send. If the invite is blocked, outside sharing may be off for the company or the site. Ask your admin, because only an admin can change it.

What has to be allowed first

Microsoft sets sharing rules at two levels. One is the whole company. The other is each site. Microsoft's page says: "To allow external sharing on any site, you must allow it at the organization level." It also says: "If a site's external sharing option and the organization-level sharing option don't match, the most restrictive value always applies."

So a site can be stricter than the company, but never looser. If your list lives on a site where outside sharing is off, the client cannot be added there, even if the company allows it elsewhere.

Microsoft lists four company-level choices. In plain words:

Anyone: links work without signing in.
New and existing guests: outside people must sign in or give a code.
Existing guests: only people already in your directory.
Only people in your organization: outside sharing is off.

Microsoft's page says "You can’t share to outside of your organization if People in your organization is selected in the sharing settings." If you see that, stop and ask your admin. These settings are admin controlled, and your admin can tell you which one your company uses.

What the client has to do

For the "New and existing guests" choice, Microsoft says people who get invitations must "sign in with their work or school account (if their organization uses Microsoft 365) or a Microsoft account, or to provide a code to verify their identity."

Tell your client ahead of time. An email that arrives with no warning looks like spam. A short heads-up saves a lot of confusion.

Sharing a list gives access to the list. It does not give access to one view of it. Hiding columns or filtering a view does not stop a person from seeing the data, because views are not security. If the client should see only some rows or some columns, do not rely on a view.

One way to start, and this is our advice, not a Microsoft rule: make a separate list that holds only what the client should see, and share that one. Keep your internal list private.

Microsoft also gives this advice: "If you have confidential information that you shouldn't share externally, store it in a site that has external sharing turned off. Create extra sites as needed for external sharing."

Exact names may differ in your version of Microsoft 365.

Ask your admin whether outside sharing is allowed for your company and for the site that holds the list.
Open the list. Check that it holds only what the client may see.
Choose Share. Microsoft's page for lists says: "Go to the list or select the list item you want to share, and then select Share."
Choose a link type that names specific people. Microsoft describes it this way: "People you choose gives access to only the people you specify by name, group, or email."
Type the client's email address. Pick the access level. Microsoft's page names three for a list: Can edit list, Can edit items and Can view. Our advice: start with Can view unless the client must add or edit items.
Send the invite. Then tell the client to watch for it.
Ask the client to open the link and sign in. Confirm they can see the list and nothing else.

If you are not an owner, you may not see the Share button, or sharing may need approval. The people who own the site can help, or can make you an owner.

What a guest can do

Microsoft says outside guests "don't have a license in your organization," so they are limited to basic collaboration. It also says: "They can perform tasks on a site based on the permission level that you give them. For example, if you add a guest as a site member, they have Edit permissions and they can add, edit, and delete lists."

That last line matters. A site member can delete lists. Give the lowest level that does the job.

Microsoft adds: "If your authenticated guests need greater capability such as OneDrive storage or creating a Power Automate flow, you must assign them an appropriate license." Ask your admin about licenses before you promise a guest anything beyond viewing and editing items.

Other guests may see each other

For folders, Microsoft says: "When users share a folder with multiple guests, the guests can see each other's names in the Manage Access panel for the folder (and any items within it)." If two clients should not know about each other, give each one a separate share, and check what each person can see before you send. Microsoft's pages do not describe this exact case for a list, so test it with a colleague first.

What to avoid

Do not use an Anyone link for client data. It "gives access to anyone who receives the link," and forwarded links work for others too.
Do not hide a column and call it private. A hidden column in a view is not security. See "Keep one column private (like pay or notes) in a shared list".
Do not give Edit when View is enough.
Do not share your main internal list. Make a copy with only the needed fields.
Do not leave old guests in place. When the work ends, remove them.

Microsoft says: "To stop sharing with guests, remove their permissions from the shared item or remove them as a guest in your directory." It also says: "Once they’ve been invited, you can easily update or remove individual access in Manage access." Review who has access at the end of every project.

Rules about client data

Sharing client data outside the company can break your own company rules or your contract with the client. Follow your own security policy and ask the person who owns it before you share. This guide is not legal advice.

If the invite fails

An old invite no longer works: Microsoft's page says: "As of June 2024, invitations sent through the legacy SharePoint Invitation Manager no longer grant access. Users must reshare documents to generate valid invitations." Share the list again to send a new invite.
The person cannot be found: see "SharePoint people picker cannot find a user or guest".
The option is missing or blocked: the company or site setting is off. Ask your admin.
The client says they cannot sign in: check that they used the same email address you invited. Ask them to try the work or school account or Microsoft account on the invite.
If you wanted to collect answers from outsiders instead of sharing a list, a form may fit better. See "Microsoft Forms: why "Anyone can respond" is greyed out".
If staff should see only their own rows, see "Let each person see only their own items in a SharePoint list".

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Can a client see my list without an account?

Two ways, and both need your admin's settings. A guest you invite by name can verify with a code instead of an account. Microsoft's page calls Anyone links unauthenticated sharing: no sign-in at all. For client data, our advice, not a Microsoft rule, is to use named people.

Can I share just one view of a list?

Treat it as no. A view changes what is shown, but it does not limit what a person with list access can reach. Make a separate list with only the data to share.

Why is the Share option missing or blocked?

The company or site setting may turn off outside sharing, or you may not be an owner. Ask your admin and the site owners.

Does the client need a Microsoft license?

Microsoft says guests "don't have a license in your organization" and are limited to basic collaboration. Whether your guests need more depends on what they do. Ask your admin.

Why does an old invite to my list no longer work?

Microsoft's page says invitations from the legacy SharePoint Invitation Manager no longer grant access as of June 2024. Reshare the list to send a valid invite.

How long does it take to remove a guest?

Microsoft says: "If you restrict or turn off external sharing, guests typically lose access within one hour of the change." To remove one person, remove their permission in Manage access.