Removing the Everyone Except External Users (EEEU) group from a SharePoint site or library fundamentally changes how access is granted and managed. This group is often misunderstood, yet it plays a major role in default permission inheritance across Microsoft 365.
🔍 What the EEEU Group Actually Does
The EEEU group is a built‑in security principal in Microsoft 365. It automatically includes:
- All licensed internal users in your tenant
- Excludes external/guest accounts
- Updates dynamically as employees join or leave the organization
Because of this, EEEU acts as a broad “all employees” access mechanism—often unintentionally.
🚫 What Happens When You Remove EEEU
Removing the EEEU group from a site, library, or list has several immediate effects:
1. Internal Users Lose Inherited Access
Any user who previously relied on EEEU for access will no longer be able to open the site or content unless they:
- Are added to another SharePoint group
- Receive direct permissions
- Belong to a security group that still has access
This can cause sudden access failures for large numbers of employees.
2. Access Control Becomes Fully Explicit
Without EEEU, SharePoint no longer grants broad tenant‑wide access. You must now:
- Assign permissions to specific users
- Use custom Azure AD groups
- Manage access at the site, library, or folder level
This increases administrative overhead but improves security.
3. Potential for User Disruption
If alternative groups are not in place before removal:
- Users may see “Access Denied” errors
- Workflows or shared links may break
- Helpdesk tickets may spike
Planning and communication are essential.
🛡️ Why Organizations Choose to Remove EEEU
Many organizations—especially large enterprises—remove EEEU to strengthen governance and reduce oversharing risks.
Key reasons include:
- Security tightening: EEEU grants access to all internal users, which may be thousands of people.
- Oversharing prevention: Users may unknowingly share sensitive content with the entire company.
- Microsoft deprecation trends: Microsoft has already removed EEEU from OneDrive to reduce accidental exposure.
- At least‐privilege access models: Modern security frameworks discourage broad, implicit access.
Removing EEEU forces teams to think intentionally about who should access what they need.
🧩 Recommended Workarounds and Best Practices
✔️ 1. Create Custom Azure AD Security Groups
Examples:
- All Employees
- All Contractors
- Department‑specific groups
- Dynamic groups based on attributes (e.g., department, job title)
These groups give you precise control and predictable membership.
✔️ 2. Use SharePoint Site-Level Permission Groups
Assign users or groups directly to:
- Site collection groups (Owners, Members, Visitors)
- Specific libraries or lists
- Individual folders (only when necessary)
This ensures access is intentional and traceable.
✔️ 3. Apply Conditional Access Policies (Optional)
For organizations with Azure AD Premium:
- Restrict access based on device compliance
- Block certain user types
- Enforce MFA for sensitive sites
This adds an additional layer of security beyond SharePoint permissions.
📝 Key Considerations Before Removing EEEU
- Removing EEEU does not delete content—it only changes who can access it.
- New employees will not automatically gain access unless added to replacement groups.
- Public or broadly shared sites may become inaccessible if not reconfigured.
- Always review:
- Site permissions
- Sharing links
- Workflows and automation
- Embedded content or connected apps
Staged rollout with communication is strongly recommended.
🧭 Summary
Removing Everyone Except External Users increases security by eliminating broad, implicit access across your tenant. However, it requires careful planning to avoid accide