Allow non-authenticated users to participate in workflows (SharePoint Server 2010)

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Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Foundation 2010

You can allow either or both of the following kinds of non-authenticated users to participate in workflows: internal users who do not have access to the site and external users who do not have access to internal network resources. For internal users, an e-mail message that explains how to request access to the site (subject to administrator approval) is sent to users. For external users, an e-mail message that includes an attached document or list item for the participant to review or sign is sent to users.

Warning

When you allow non-authenticated users to participate in workflows, you do not give non-authorized users access to the site. However, the e-mail message and attachment might contain sensitive information. Before you enable these settings, consider whether there are possible risks of disclosure of information with regard to users who do not have access to the site.

Allow non-authenticated users to participate in workflows

To allow internal users without site access to participate in workflows

  1. Verify that you have the following administrative credentials:

    • To allow internal users without site access to participate in workflows, you must be a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. From Central Administration Web site, on the Quick Launch, click Application Management.

  3. In the Web Applications section, click Manage web applications.

  4. On the Web Applications Management page, in the Name column, click the Web application that you want to configure.

  5. In the Manage group of the ribbon, click General Settings, and then click Workflow in the list that appears.

  6. In the Workflow Settings dialog box, in the Workflow Task Notifications section, in the Alert internal users who do not have site access when they are assigned a workflow task? option, click Yes to send an e-mail message to internal users who do not have access to the site when they are assigned a workflow task. By default, this setting is enabled.

    Tip

    You must also grant each user, who is not a site member, minimally the Contribute permission-level to the task list that is used by the workflow in which you want them to participate.

  7. Click OK to close the Workflow Settings dialog box.

To allow external users to participate in workflows

  1. From the Central Administration Web site, on the Quick Launch, click Application Management.

  2. In the Web Applications section, click Manage web applications.

  3. On the Web Applications Management page, click the Web application that you want to configure.

  4. In the Manage group of the ribbon, click General Settings, and then click Workflow in the list that appears.

  5. In the Workflow Settings dialog box, in the Workflow Task Notifications section, in the Allow external users to participate in workflow by sending them a copy of the document? option, click Yes to allow external users to participate in workflow by sending them a copy of the document. By default, this setting is disabled.

  6. Click OK to close the Workflow Settings dialog box.

Note

If you later decide that you do not want non-authenticated participants to participate in workflows, access this page again and then click No to disable one or both options.