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Azure Active Directory Troubleshooting

This section provides guidance and solutions for common issues encountered while using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

Common Sign-in Issues

Resolving issues where users are unable to sign in to Azure AD or associated applications.

Password Issues

  • User forgot password: Guide on password reset procedures.
  • Incorrect password: Common reasons for incorrect password errors (e.g., Caps Lock, incorrect username format).
  • Password expiration: Policies and notifications for password expiry.

Account Lockout

Understanding account lockout policies and how to unlock accounts.

Troubleshooting Steps:
  1. Check Azure AD sign-in logs for lockout events.
  2. Verify the user's sign-in attempts and source IP addresses.
  3. If necessary, unlock the user's account via the Azure portal.

Application Access Problems

Diagnosing why users cannot access or use specific applications integrated with Azure AD.

Permissions and Roles

  • User assigned incorrect roles or permissions within the application.
  • Application assignment is missing for the user.

SAML/OAuth Configuration Errors

Common misconfigurations in single sign-on (SSO) protocols.

Ensure the Reply URL (Assertion Consumer Service URL) in Azure AD matches the one configured in the application.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Troubleshooting MFA challenges and enrollment issues.

MFA Prompt Not Appearing

Verify that the user is part of a Conditional Access policy that requires MFA or has per-user MFA enabled.

MFA Method Issues

  • Unable to register an MFA method (e.g., phone number invalid, authenticator app not set up).
  • MFA codes not being received.
Note: Users can manage their MFA methods via aka.ms/mfasetup.

Conditional Access Policies

Diagnosing why Conditional Access policies are not behaving as expected.

Use the What If tool in Azure AD to simulate sign-ins and understand how policies apply.


# Example PowerShell to check Conditional Access policies
Get-AzureADPolicy -All $true | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*MFA*"}

Synchronization Issues (Azure AD Connect)

Addressing problems with synchronizing identities from on-premises Active Directory to Azure AD.

Synchronization Rules

Check synchronization logs for errors related to attribute flow or object conflicts.

Connector Space Issues

Investigate issues within the Metaverse and Connector Spaces.

Tip: The Azure AD Connect Health agent can provide valuable insights into synchronization health.

Device Registration and Compliance

Troubleshooting devices that cannot register or become compliant with Azure AD.

  • Issues with Windows Autopilot deployment.
  • Device compliance policies not being enforced.

Application Proxy Issues

Resolving connectivity and authentication problems with applications published through Azure AD Application Proxy.

Connector Health

Ensure that the Application Proxy connectors are running and healthy.

Pre-authentication Errors

Verify that pre-authentication methods are correctly configured.

Reporting and Auditing

Utilizing Azure AD reports to diagnose and audit activities.

  • Sign-in logs: Identify failed sign-ins, locations, and device information.
  • Audit logs: Track changes to Azure AD resources.
  • Risky sign-ins: Investigate potential security threats.

API and SDK Errors

Troubleshooting common errors when interacting with Azure AD via APIs or SDKs.

Common Error: HTTP 403 Forbidden - Indicates insufficient permissions or scopes for the API request. Ensure the application has the necessary permissions granted.

Request Throttling

Understand API request limits and implement backoff strategies.