Teams: Enable Shared Channel Access

Key insights

• Shared channels: Channels that let users from different teams or organizations work together without switching teams or using guest accounts.
  They act as independent collaboration spaces visible only to channel members.
• Ask to join (channel link): Users who get a shared channel link but are not members can request to join directly through the link.
  Channel owners then approve or deny the request, reducing admin bottlenecks.
• Channel policies: Admins set rules on who can create shared channels, share them externally, and join external shared channels.
  These policies let organizations balance collaboration and compliance.
• Cross-tenant access and Microsoft Entra ID: Admins must configure cross-tenant settings in Entra ID to allow external participants securely.
  External users join via direct connect rather than traditional guest accounts.
• Owner and member management: Channel owners can add or remove members and handle join requests from the channel’s Manage channel > Requests and invites area.
  This empowers owners to control access without constant admin help.
• Benefits and limits: Shared channels streamline access, boost external collaboration, and offer granular admin control while improving security.
  Note: channels can’t convert between shared and standard/private types and are managed by owners and admins.

Video at a glance

Tech Tweedie's recent YouTube walkthrough explains how to configure Microsoft Teams so users can join shared channels across organizations. The short demo focuses on the Teams admin center and highlights the specific admin settings needed to allow seamless cross-tenant collaboration. In this report, we summarize the video for IT teams and administrators while clarifying the tradeoffs and practical steps that the video emphasizes.

According to Tech Tweedie, the video is aimed mainly at IT admins who manage Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). It mixes a step-by-step setup with policy guidance and troubleshooting tips, and it shows how changes in the admin portal affect real user workflows. As a result, the piece serves as both a quick how-to and a context piece for decision makers.

What shared channels are and why they matter

Shared channels let people collaborate inside a channel without switching teams or adding traditional guest accounts. Consequently, they streamline cross-functional work and external collaboration by enabling participants from different tenants to work together inside a common channel space. Tech Tweedie emphasizes that shared channels are independent collaboration units linked to a parent team but visible only to channel members.

Moreover, the video clarifies that external participants join via Microsoft Entra B2B direct connect rather than classic guest accounts, and that channels cannot be converted between shared and standard/private types. This design choice reduces friction for ongoing partnerships, yet it also introduces limits administrators must consider when planning governance and lifecycle policies.

Key admin settings shown in the walkthrough

The video outlines several admin controls that determine how users find, request, and join shared channels. First, Tech Tweedie demonstrates the new ask to join capability where an in-tenant user who clicks a shared channel link can request membership directly; channel owners then approve or deny requests. This feature improves user-driven access while keeping owners in control, and it rolled out broadly starting in mid-2024.

Next, the walkthrough covers channel policy controls that let admins decide who can create shared channels, share them externally, and participate in external shared channels. Tech Tweedie shows where to set these policies in the Teams admin center, and explains how policy granularity helps meet compliance needs without blocking everyday collaboration. Additionally, the video stresses the need to enable guest access in Teams when external connections are involved, even though shared channels rely on direct connect rather than classic guest accounts.

Finally, the presenter walks viewers through configuring cross-tenant access in Entra ID. This step is essential for authorizing external tenants and defining trust parameters; without it, external users may not be able to authenticate or access shared channel resources. The demo also highlights owner and member management flows, such as reviewing join requests under "Manage channel" > "Requests and invites," which reduces central admin load by delegating routine approvals to channel owners.

Tradeoffs and challenges to consider

While shared channels reduce user friction, they introduce tradeoffs between ease and control. For instance, delegating approval to channel owners speeds access but can create inconsistent governance across teams. Tech Tweedie points out that organizations must balance decentralization with policy enforcement to avoid shadow collaboration that bypasses compliance requirements.

Another challenge lies in cross-tenant configuration. Setting up Entra ID policies allows secure external access, yet configuring those settings across many partner tenants can become complex and time consuming. Furthermore, because shared channels are not convertible, admins must plan channel types carefully to avoid future migration headaches, a limitation the video flags as a practical planning concern.

Lastly, rollout and user education remain nontrivial. Although Microsoft enabled much of this functionality by default, Tech Tweedie explains that staged rollouts and inconsistent tenant settings can produce confusing experiences for users. Therefore, testing in a sandbox environment and preparing clear user guidance help reduce support tickets and frustration.

Practical recommendations from the demo

Tech Tweedie offers pragmatic steps for administrators: first, review and set channel creation and external sharing policies to match organizational risk tolerance. Second, configure cross-tenant access in Entra ID and document the accepted trust relationships that your organization will permit. These actions set a secure baseline for collaboration while keeping the environment manageable.

In addition, the video recommends delegating routine join approvals to channel owners while maintaining audit trails and periodic reviews. It also suggests testing the full join flow end to end in a controlled tenant before broad rollout, so teams can confirm behavior and update training materials. Finally, Tech Tweedie reminds viewers to monitor usage and review policy impacts, because real-world collaboration patterns often reveal unforeseen gaps.

Conclusion: what admins should take away

In summary, Tech Tweedie's video provides a clear, practical guide for enabling and managing shared channels in Microsoft Teams. It balances step-by-step configuration with governance advice, underlining that admins must weigh user productivity gains against policy complexity and cross-tenant security. As shared channels gain adoption, thoughtful planning and ongoing monitoring will determine whether organizations capture the benefits without increasing risk.

For IT leaders, the key is to pair the technical changes shown in the video with clear governance, training, and testing. Doing so will help teams collaborate more fluidly across organizations while retaining the controls that security and compliance teams require. Tech Tweedie's walkthrough serves as a useful starting point for those next steps.

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