Custom Search page for Guest users

Question

I reconfigured my SharePoint Online Site Collection (Communication Template) to use custom search results page and different Search center URL.

In Site Collection Administration > Search Settings I enabled the option Send queries to a custom results page URL. and put my URL into Results page URL. Also I set Search Center URL to my custom URL.

Did the same setup for Search Settings in Search section of Site admin panel and changed all URLS in Configure Search Navigation settings there.

When I logged in as a normal user and type something into the search bar on top of the page and hit Enter it sends me to my custom page and all good there. But when I use a B2B guest account I have two problems:

1. Search bar is no longer in the top bar, but rendered on right hand side. How can I enable the top bar search box?
2. When I am a B2B guest and hit Enter in the search bar it ignores my settings and sends me to default search page /_layouts/15/search.aspx/siteall?q=Test. How can I enable the same experience for guests as for normal users?

Thanks

Answer 1

It is the default behavior that external users/guest users do not have access to the global search box, possibly due to security consideration. Also external users/guest users do not have access to the global search center (if you have one set up) and will be experiencing lack of search function.

This is by design and cannot be enabled from our end.