# External users

Glue lets you collaborate with people outside your company's workspace—like clients, contractors, and partners—by **inviting them to specific groups or threads as external users**. This way you can easily chat with someone outside your company without giving them access to your entire workspace or asking them to pay for a Glue license.

## What is an External User?

**External users** are people who:

* **Are not members of your Glue workspace** — they might belong to another Glue workspace or they can set up a [free Glue account](/workspaces/external-users/using-glue-without-a-workspace.md) with limited access.
* **Can be added to specific groups or threads** in your workspace without having access to any other part of your workspace.
* **Have a yellow external badge** displayed in their profile and in group members lists.

{% hint style="success" %}
**External users can join Glue for free**—if someone doesn’t already have a Glue account, they can create one at no cost. They will receive an alert via email when you've added them to a group or thread that gives them a link to sign up.
{% endhint %}

<details>

<summary>What does the external user badge look like?</summary>

**A yellow external badge** will show up on an external user's profile, in a group's members list that includes external users, and in the group directory for groups including external users or owned by external users. You will not see the badge next to user's names in the chat or next to group names in your inbox.

<figure><img src="/files/xvy6PpyiMWhtL79epdEU" alt="" width="348"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/eoS8NYUwOKncOJolhDK0" alt="" width="349"><figcaption><p>Yellow external badge in a group's members list</p></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/nvR48P3QI6n0wvgphJfF" alt=""><figcaption><p>Groups with external users will show the badge in your group directory</p></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/e4YbrRo0EbFfAsPNchCg" alt=""><figcaption><p>You can also see groups owned by external workspaces in your group directory</p></figcaption></figure>

</details>

## Key Benefits

**Unlimited external users**

* Collaborate with as many external users as you need.
* No added cost to your subscription.

**Seamless collaboration with customers and partners**

* Create dedicated threads for projects, deals, or assignments with external collaborators, rather than lumping all communication together in a channel.
* External users can create free Glue accounts with messaging access if they do not want to pay for the full functionality of a workspace.

**Clear boundaries and access controls**

* External users can only see what you explicitly invite them to. They don’t have access to the rest of your workspace.
* External users can be removed at any time and will immediately lose access to the group or thread history.

## Adding External Users to Groups, Threads or DMs

To invite an external user:

1. **Go to the group or thread you want to include them in.**
   1. If it's a group, access the group members list and click **Add new member**.
   2. If it's a thread, click on thread name or access the thread settings. Click into the text box.
2. **Add the user** either with their name or email address, depending on if you've messaged them before.
   1. **If you've messaged the user before** or are in a group together, they are now in your contacts list. You can **type in the user’s name.**
   2. **If you've not messaged the user before**, type or paste in their **email address.**
   3. **Click add.**
3. If they’re not a Glue user yet, they will receive an email notifying them of the group or thread they were added to and inviting them to set up a Glue account.

**If you need to remove an external user**, the process is the same as removing a workspace member. See [removing users from a group](https://docs.glue.ai/groups/group-settings/admin-settings-for-groups#removing-users-from-a-group) and [removing users from a thread](https://docs.glue.ai/conversations/threads/managing-threads#removing-recipients-from-a-thread).

\
What can an external user do in Glue if they set up a free account?
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Free accounts do not have the full functionality of a paid Glue workspace. Click the page link below for more details.

{% content-ref url="/pages/rWCAJeGxBS4sKEIVBvj8" %}
[Using Glue without a workspace](/workspaces/external-users/using-glue-without-a-workspace.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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