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Change who gets SharePoint access request emails

Short answer: when a person asks for access to a SharePoint site, an email goes to the site's default recipient. If that person left, ignores the inbox, or never owned the site, requests sit unanswered. A site owner can change the recipient in the site's permissions settings and pick a person or a shared address. This guide shows where, what Microsoft says about the defaults, and how to approve a request once it arrives.

What an access request is

A person opens a link to a SharePoint site or list and sees a message that they do not have access. They can send a request. SharePoint then emails the people who handle requests for that site. Until someone approves or declines, the person waits.

If you also need to fix a person who is blocked and not sure why, see "Fix "Access denied" on a SharePoint list". This guide is about the other side: making sure the request lands with someone who will act on it.

Who gets the email by default

Microsoft's page on access requests lists the default recipient by site type. In short:

Exact names may differ on your screen. The point is simple: the default is a role, not a named person. If the role has an empty or unwatched inbox, nobody answers.

Signs this is happening

Before you start

  1. Find out who should answer requests. Pick a role or a shared address, not only one person. One way to start: a shared mailbox or a distribution list that two or three people read.
  2. Confirm you can change the setting. Microsoft's page says only site collection administrators, SharePoint administrators and members of the default Owners group can use the Access Requests page. If you are not one of them, ask the site owner or your admin.
  3. Open the site you want to change. The setting belongs to one site. A different site needs its own change.

Step 1. Open the site permissions

  1. Open the site in your browser.
  2. Microsoft's page says: "Go to Settings > Site Permissions."
  3. Then: "Under Site Sharing, click Change how members can share."

Microsoft's help page for these steps is "Set up and manage access requests" (linked in the sources). Menu and action names change, so exact names may differ on your screen.

Step 2. Turn on access requests

In the panel that opens, Microsoft says: "Under Access requests, set the toggle for Allow access requests to On." If it is Off, people cannot send a request from that site, so they must find the owner by other means.

Step 3. Pick who gets the emails

Microsoft says to "Select who will receive access requests for the site". It lists the site owners and "Specific email (a specific user or distribution list)". Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: use a shared address that more than one person reads, so one absence does not stop the line.

Microsoft's page also lets you add a custom message that people see on the access request page. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: use it to say who to contact and what to include, such as the reason for the request.

Then select Save.

Step 4. Test the new setting

  1. Ask a coworker who does not have access to open the site link and send a request. Use a test account if your admin allows it.
  2. Check that the email reaches the address you chose.
  3. Approve or decline the request (steps below) and tell the coworker.

If the email does not arrive, check the junk folder of the receiving address first. Microsoft also notes that when a site uses mail-enabled security groups, owners might not receive request emails, and it links to a troubleshooting page. If your site uses one, tell your admin.

How to approve or decline a request

Microsoft lists these steps for SharePoint Online:

  1. Select Settings, then Site contents.
  2. Select Access requests. Microsoft says this button appears only when requests are pending.
  3. Under Pending Requests, select the ellipsis (three dots) next to the request.
  4. If you approve, choose the permission level to give. You can add a message.
  5. Select Approve or Decline.

To see past requests, select "Show History". The names on your screen may differ.

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: give the lowest permission level that lets the person do the job. For lists, a person who adds and edits items needs less than a person who manages the list. The guide "Fix "Access denied" on a SharePoint list" explains the levels.

A simple routine so requests do not sit

One way to start:

  1. Name two people who check the shared address. Write their names in the site's custom message or in your team notes.
  2. Pick a day each week to open Site contents, then Access requests, and clear what is pending.
  3. When someone leaves, check every site they owned. Change the recipient before the person goes.
  4. Keep a short record of who got access and why. A SharePoint list works. Use the Title column for the person or request, and add columns for date, site and level. Title is required by default, so rename it to "Person" or turn off Require in the column settings.

People outside your company

Microsoft's page says: "By default, any invitations you send to external users will expire in 90 days." It also says resending does not extend the response window, and that an expired invitation needs a new invitation. For the full steps to share with a client, see "Share a SharePoint list with a client outside your company".

What to avoid

Honest limits

Changing the recipient does not make anyone act faster. It only puts the request in front of the right people. If your team needs approvals with a record, due dates and reminders, a request form and a flow may fit better. See "Approvals lost in email: how to stop chasing sign-offs" for that.

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

Who gets access request emails if I change nothing?

It depends on the site type. Microsoft's page lists the Owners group for classic, communication and modern sites without a group, the group administrators for group-connected sites, and the primary site administrator for OneDrive and project sites.

Can I send requests to a shared address?

Microsoft's steps let you choose a "Specific email" and say it can be a user or a distribution list. Check with your admin that the address can receive mail from SharePoint.

Why can I not find the Access requests button?

Microsoft says it appears only when requests are pending. Also, only site collection administrators, SharePoint administrators and members of the default Owners group can use that page.

I changed the setting but the email did not arrive. What now?

Check the junk folder. Then check whether the site uses a mail-enabled security group, which Microsoft says can stop owners from receiving request emails. If so, ask your admin.

Does this setting apply to all my sites?

Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: treat each site as its own setting and check them one at a time. Microsoft's steps describe changing one site.

Sources