❓ Can't remove member from Microsoft Teams Group Chat using Graph API with Application Permission

Question

❓ Can't remove member from Microsoft Teams Group Chat using Graph API with Application Permission

Haekal Arif Rozikin 5

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on creating a Teams group chat using Microsoft Graph API with application permissions, and I’ve run into several issues that I hope someone here can help clarify.

1. Creating group chat with members and installed app (works)

I followed the documentation here: “Create a one-on-one chat with installed apps” ➜ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/chat-post?view=graph-rest-1.0&tabs=http#example-3-create-a-one-on-one-chat-with-installed-apps

Using application permissions, I successfully:

Created a group chat

Added multiple members

Installed my Teams app into the chat automatically

My application has already been granted the following permissions:

ChatMember.ReadWrite.All  
ChatMember.ReadWrite.WhereInstalled

The purpose is to allow the app to add or remove chat members without requiring a signed-in user, since I am using fully non-delegated application permissions.

However, when I try to remove a member from the group chat using Graph API with the application token, the request fails and returns an error.

Cuplikan layar 2025-11-24 103224

2. Trying RSC-granted approach – app not installed

Next, I tried creating a group chat using the RSC-granted app approach:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/chat-post?view=graph-rest-1.0&tabs=http#example-4-create-a-one-on-one-chat-with-rsc-granted-apps

With the following permission:

ChatMember.ReadWrite.All

And permission type: application

The group chat is created successfully, but the app is not installed inside the chat, which means I still can’t proceed with removing a member using the app context.

So this solution also stops midway.

3. Creating chat first, then installing the app (also fails)

Lastly, I attempted another method:

Create the group chat normally

After creation, install the app into it using this endpoint: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/chat-post-installedapps?view=graph-rest-1.0&tabs=http

I used an application access token again, but the request returns the same error as case #1 when attempting to remove a member.

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Answer 1

Teddie-D 18,700 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Haekal Arif Rozikin

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

You've encountered the following error: AclCheckFailed – The initiator 28:app <your-app-id> is not a member of the roster in the generic thread. This happens because removing a member requires the initiator to be a participant in the chat roster. Apps are never considered roster members, even if they are installed in the chat. Application permissions alone do not grant roster membership, so the ACL check blocks the removal.

Here’s why each of the three approaches fails:

1.Creating a chat (with or without installed apps)

The Create chat API can define members and optionally install an app. Installing an app does not make it a roster participant. The app cannot remove members because the ACL check requires the initiator to be in the roster.

2.Relying on app permissions alone

Even with permissions like Chat.Manage.Chat or ChatMember.ReadWrite.All, the app is not treated as a chat member. Permissions allow the app to act within its scope, but they don’t override roster rules. Since the app isn’t in the roster, the ACL check still denies the removal.

3.Installing the app after the chat is created

Installing the app later gives it permissions to interact with the chat. However, it still isn’t a roster member, so ACL checks for member removal continue to fail.

All three approaches fail because Teams apps are not roster participants. The Remove member action requires the initiator to be in the roster. Apps can be installed, granted permissions, and interact with the chat, but they will never count as roster members. As a result, any attempt to remove a member directly from the app will always be blocked by ACL checks.

I hope this information is helpful.

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Nivedipa-MSFT 4,246 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-24T13:28:47.2733333+00:00

@Haekal Arif Rozikin - Could you please confirm if your issue resolved with above information or are you still looking for additional information?
Teddie-D 18,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-26T06:12:35.9133333+00:00

Hi @Haekal Arif Rozikin
Just checking in to see if the information above was useful to you. If you have any additional updates or need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. Warm thanks!
Admin 0 Reputation points

2026-06-30T13:48:33.09+00:00

I understand the explanation of why the approached aren't working.

However, it's not clear what the correct approach should be to programmatically removing users from group chats.

The scenario I'm working on is when a user leaves the org, we'd like to programmatically remove them from all group chats they are in. However, we're getting similar ACL issues when querying specific groups during testing and those specific groups are not showing up when a user's chats are listed.

What is the correct way to remove users from a group chat without being part of that group chat?
Teddie-D 18,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-01T05:07:30.21+00:00
Hi @Admin

There is no supported way to remove a user from a Teams group chat without being a member of that chat.

The only supported method is:

-Use delegated permissions
-Call the API as a real user who is already in the chat

DELETE /chats/{chat-id}/members/{membership-id} Authorization: Bearer {delegated user token}