Add Users to SharePoint site's Visitors Group

By default every Sharepoint site has a Visitor's group with View-only permissions. A site owner may want some users to be able to Visitors so they can search around the site, but using the search box for a site requires View permissions to the site. This will give them view permissions to everything in the site, unless items (folders or files) break permissions and set their own unique permissions that do not allow view/access to the Visitors group. This article provides instructions for adding users to the Visitors group.

Instructions 

Add User(s) to Visitors group

1. Log in to your SharePoint site online 
2. Click the three dots to the right of a folder.
3. Click Manage Access.
4. The Manage Access window will pop up. Click the ... in the upper right corner of the window.
5. Select Advanced Settings.
6. Click on The Visitors group
7. Click the expand triangle next to New at the top and select Add users to this group
8. Enter the UMS email of the user(s) to be added
9. Click Show Options
10. Optional: un-check the box for Send an email invitation (it generally goes to Spam, better to copy link and send to user in a regular email)
11. Click Share

This will add the user(s) to the Visitors group for the SharePoint site. 

Environment

• SharePoint