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Sharing with External users whose Org HAS a Box account but the user does NOT

  • January 21, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 15 views
D

I feel like I’m going crazy here. Surely there’s a workaround.

Scenario:

We invite external collaborators to get access to our folders right?

External Collaborators get an email saying [removed by moderator] has invited you to collab. They follow the link and create a free Box account if they don’t already have one.

HOWEVER.

Many of our clients work in Orgs that have their own Box Enterprise account.

These clients are unable to sign up for a free Box account to view our stuff because their organisation controls who signs up with that domain right? I know my company does this. Anyone who tries to sign up with an @mycompany.com domain will always be prompted to sign in via SSO and be provisioned on our account

Our clients are unwilling to provision a Box account for their employee because it’s a full seat and license and cost right?

So how the heck can we invite these people as collaborators on our Box space?

Surely there’s a better way than asking our clients to license all their users??!

Am I missing something here?

    1 reply

    Jey Bueno Box
    • Jey Bueno Box
    • Community Manager
    • January 22, 2026

    👋 Hi ​@dglasgow, thank you for raising this concern. I’d be glad to assist.

     

    When an organization uses claimed domains and SSO enforcement, users from that domain are unable to create standalone free accounts. This is designed to prevent unmanaged users from being created outside the organization. As a result, users cannot be invited as external collaborators unless their admin provisions an account for them under their company’s Box enterprise.


    The simplest option, especially when the goal is just to let someone view or download files, is to:

    • Create shared links with the appropriate access level (e.g., People with the link) instead of adding them as collaborators.
    • This removes the need for the user to have a Box account at all.
    • You can also use password‑protected shared links, which are available to all paid Box users. See Configuring Individual Shared Link Settings to learn more.


    Another common workaround is to:

    • Have the user collaborate using a non‑managed email address (e.g., a personal Gmail account).
    • Their company’s domain restrictions won’t apply, and you can add them as an external collaborator normally.


    If you’d like to discuss your account for a more strategic approach to collaboration, feel free to reach out to your Accounts Team.

     

    Thanks, and have a great day!

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