Fix: “Connect-SPOService: No valid OAuth 2.0 authentication session exists” Error
Problem:
When trying to connect to SharePoint Online through PowerShell 7, I received the error message “Connect-SPOService: No valid OAuth 2.0 authentication session exists” on the PowerShell prompt.
Solution:
When you use PowerShell 7, use the “-UseWindowsPowerShell” switch to import the PowerShell Module for SharePoint Online!
Import-Module Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell -UseWindowsPowerShell
Other Possible solutions:
Apart from the above, the “Connect-SPOService: No valid OAuth 2.0 authentication session exists” error may occur when attempting to connect to SharePoint Online via PowerShell using the Connect-SPOService cmdlet without a valid authentication context. Here are some more things to check:
1. Ensure Modern Authentication is Enabled
Make sure that Modern Authentication is enabled for your Microsoft 365 tenant. The error could be caused by legacy authentication methods being used. Modern Authentication supports OAuth 2.0.
2. Update PowerShell and SharePoint Online Management Shell
An outdated PowerShell or SharePoint Online Management Shell can lead to various issues, including authentication errors. Ensure you have the latest version of both by visiting the official Microsoft websites and checking for updates. For PowerShell, use the Microsoft PowerShell GitHub page, and for the SharePoint Online Management Shell, use: How to Update SharePoint Online PowerShell module?
3. Use Correct Credentials and Authentication Methods
Ensure you’re using the correct credentials and authentication method. If you’re using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), you cannot authenticate using only a username and password. In such cases, you need to use a more modern authentication method that supports MFA. Leave the -Credential parameter to get the prompt page that supports MFA.
Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com
If your account is not Multifactor authentication enabled, you can hard-code the username and password in your PowerShell script to connect to the SharePoint Online Administration Center:
#Setup usercredential
$username = "admin@yourdomain.com"
$password = "password"
$cred = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -argumentlist $userName, $(convertto-securestring $Password -asplaintext -force)
Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourdomain-admin.sharepoint.com -Credential $cred
4. Clear Cached Credentials
Sometimes, cached credentials can cause conflicts. Clearing these prior to running a script file might resolve the issue:
- On Windows, you can clear cached credentials via the Credential Manager.
- For PowerShell, closing and reopening the PowerShell window can sometimes help clear session-specific cached data.
5. Verify SharePoint Admin Role
Ensure the account you’re using to connect has SharePoint admin role permissions. Without the necessary permissions, the connection will fail.
6. Consider Using PnP PowerShell
If you continue to experience issues, consider using the Patterns and Practices (PnP) PowerShell module, which offers more comprehensive and flexible connectivity options, including better support for modern authentication scenarios:
Connect-PnPOnline -Url https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com -Interactive
This command also supports the -Interactive
parameter for modern authentication to connect to the SharePoint Online site.
worked for me
The same error message “No valid OAuth 2.0 authentication session exists” appears if the environment is in ITAR. Make sure to add -Region ITAR when running Connect-SPOService.
Example: Connect-SPOService -url “https://salaudeen-admin.sharepoint.com” -Region ITAR
where https://salaudeen-admin.sharepoint.com is the admin URL of an ITAR tenant
It doesn’t work on the inbuilt Windows 10 PowerShell version 5. You can check the version by using this command.
$PSVersiontable
The “-UseWindowsPowerShell” does work if you install PowershellVersion 7 and then make sure you are using the correct version becasue they will install side by side.
“C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe”
I still get the error though!
Connect-SPOService: No valid OAuth 2.0 authentication session exists
I’m not sure, there may be a tanant setting that needs to be changed.
I do have MFA enforced
Doesnt work.
there is no module called Usewindowspowershell
This applies only to PowerShell 7!