Login Doesn't Work After SharePoint Access Granted

Samuel J Anderson 0 Reputation points
2026-06-16T15:43:16.98+00:00

In short, I am getting a repeat error message when I try to log in to a SharePoint folder at work. My supervisor on this project is outside my organization, but she owns the folder and is able to add people to it. I've received multiple email invitations from her to "edit" the folder, but I always get this message when I try to log in:

Request Id: [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Correlation Id: [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Timestamp: 2026-06-16T15:29:47Z

Message: AADSTS50020: User account 'PII.edu' from identity provider 'https://sts.windows.net/PII' does not exist in tenant '[redacted]' and cannot access the application 'PII'(Office 365 SharePoint Online) in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first. Sign out and sign in again with a different Azure Active Directory user account.

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | Other | Other
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  1. Ian-Ng 14,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-16T16:54:50.45+00:00

    Hi @Samuel J Anderson, 

    Thank you for sharing the full error details.  

    Based on the AADSTS50020 message, this seems to an external access or guest account issue than a SharePoint folder permission problem. The error means the other organization’s tenant is not currently recognizing your account as a valid external user for that SharePoint resource. 

    I have outlined the steps to troubleshoot and help resolve the issue: 

    Phase 1: on your side 

    Often, this error happens because your browser is automatically signing you in with a different, cached account instead of the one that received the invitation. 

    1. Close your active tabs and open a new InPrivate (Edge) or Incognito (Chrome) browser window. 
    2. Paste the SharePoint invitation link directly into that private window. 
    3. Ensure you log in using the exact email address where you received the invitation. 

    Phase 2: on your hosting organization's side 

    If the private browser step doesn't work, the issue lies within the hosting organization's security settings. You will need to contact the person who invited you and ask them to have their IT Administrator check the following: 

    • Verify guest existence: your admin should check if your email address actually exists as a guest user in their Microsoft Entra ID. If it doesn't, they need to formally invite you as an external user before sharing the SharePoint folder. 
    • Fix a "stale" account: if your account is already listed, your guest status might be incomplete or corrupted. The admin should reset your guest redemption status (or completely remove and re-add your guest account) and send a fresh invitation. 
    • Check conditional access policies: the admin should review their Conditional Access configurations. Tight security policies can sometimes block new external users if the account hasn't been fully provisioned for SharePoint yet.

    Your issue is described in the article below. Please refer to it for more information: Error AADSTS50020 - User account from identity provider does not exist in tenant.

    I hope this helps. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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