Table of Contents
Summary
- A new RBAC role, Teams External Collaboration Administrator, will be introduced in the Microsoft Teams admin center for managing external collaboration settings.
- This role allows targeted administrative capabilities without full Teams admin permissions, specifically for managing external access settings and policies.
- Management under this role will only be accessible through PowerShell, and it does not support assignment to Administrative Units.
- Global admins will have the ability to assign or unassign this role via the Microsoft Entra or Microsoft 365 admin centers.
- Notify Global admins and update internal documentation to reflect this new role and its capabilities.
Admin Impact: Low
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 30 Jan 2026
Release End: 15 Feb 2026
Services: Teams
Category: Stay informed
Tags: New Feature, Admin Action
History
1/8/2026 Item Added to Message Center
Microsoft Message
Introduction
We’re excited to announce the rollout of a new built-in role-based access control (RBAC) role in the Microsoft Teams admin center called Teams External Collaboration Administrator. This role provides targeted administrative capabilities for managing external collaboration settings (Federation) in Teams, enabling organizations to delegate responsibilities securely without granting full Teams admin permissions.
When this will happen
General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in late January 2026 and expect to complete by mid-February 2026.
How this will affect your organization
Who is affected: Admins who manage external collaboration settings in Microsoft Teams.
What will happen:
- A new RBAC role, Teams External Collaboration Administrator, will be available.
- Key capabilities include:
- Manage external access settings for federated domains.
- Manage External Access Policies to allow or disallow external domains.
- Role limitations:
- No access to the Teams admin center portal; management is only through PowerShell.
- Assignment to Administrative Units is not supported.
- Global admins can assign or unassign this new RBAC role from the Microsoft Entra admin center or Microsoft 365 admin center.
What you need to do to prepare
This rollout will happen automatically by the specified dates with no admin action required before the rollout.
To prepare:
- Notify your Global admins about the availability of this new role.
- Update internal documentation and training materials to reflect the new role and its capabilities.
Learn more:
- Use Microsoft Teams administrator roles to manage Teams – Microsoft Learn
- Microsoft Entra built-in roles – Microsoft Learn
Compliance considerations
No compliance considerations identified; review as appropriate for your organization.