To do cannot join list

Stanisław Stasiewicz 5 Reputation points
2026-10-30T12:21:46.6033333+00:00

My partner and I cannot join our mutually shared lists in To Do, even though we have some already exisitng ones. We are getting an error message:

"A list can only be shared between personal accounts or from a work account within the same organization"

This invitations were sent from both our personal accounts and we were logged in (she sent one to me, I tried sending one back doesn't work either way), so this error doesn't make any sense. We do not use outlook for our personal accounts. Please advise.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft To Do | Other
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  1. Peter 10 Reputation points
    2026-11-01T13:09:44.84+00:00

    Hi, I have this exact same issue, and tried everything except for creating two new outlook accounts and seeing if that would work.

    Problem: others can’t join new To Do lists I share. Error: “Can’t join list. Lists can only be shared between personal accounts, or between work or school accounts in the same organization.” All accounts involved are personal Microsoft accounts.

    What I tried (4 different personal accounts, several combinations):

    • New lists and new invite links: fail
    • Both directions (each person as owner): fail
    • Between two plain @outlook.com accounts: fail
    • Web (to-do.live.com), private window, signed in first: fail
    • Existing shared lists: still sync fine
    • OneNote sharing between the same accounts: works

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  2. Rukshan edirisinghe 2,365 Reputation points
    2026-10-31T02:16:19.8666667+00:00

    Hi @Stanisław Stasiewicz

    You're right that the message doesn't fit your setup. Microsoft's own To Do doc says sharing works between personal Microsoft accounts, and that error is meant for lists owned by a work or school account. Two personal accounts that already share lists should not see it. Another couple reported the exact same error on new shares the same day, so this looks like a problem on Microsoft's side rather than with your accounts.

    A few things are still worth trying, because the error is decided by which account opens the invite:

    1. Open the invite in a normal browser, not inside a chat or mail app. In-app browsers can be signed in to a different Microsoft account. Copy the link into Edge or Chrome in a private window.
    2. Sign in at to-do.live.com first with the personal account, then paste the invite link in that same window.
    3. Check for a second account in the To Do app. On each phone, open Settings and check whether a work or school account was ever added. If so, make sure the personal account is the one active when you open the link.
    4. Report it from the app so Microsoft sees it: in To Do go to Settings > Help & feedback and send a report that includes the exact error text. More reports with the same message help them track it down.

    Your existing shared lists will keep syncing in the meantime. As a stopgap, you could rename one of them and reuse it for now.

    Did either of you ever sign in to To Do with a work or school account on that phone?

    If one of these lets you join, please consider accepting it as the answer. If the error appears even from to-do.live.com, let me know and I'll be happy to keep helping.

    Reference:

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