AADSTS16000 error blocking Microsoft for Startups LinkedIn verification and Azure signup

Question

Hello Microsoft Community,

I am trying to apply for Microsoft for Startups / Founders Hub and unlock Azure credits for my startup, but I am unable to complete the verification process.

When I click “Verify with LinkedIn”, nothing happens. The button does not redirect, open LinkedIn, or show any proper response.

I also tried creating/initializing an Azure free account with the same Microsoft account, but I received the following error:

Error: Selected user account does not exist in tenant “Microsoft Services” and cannot access the application e6694c91-1590-4e35-9bb7-b865c638b9c1 in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first. Please use a different account.

I also saw this authentication issue in the portal:

Experiencing authentication issues The portal is having issues getting an authentication token. Details: timed_out

Another detailed error shown was:

AADSTS16000: User account from identity provider live.com does not exist in tenant Microsoft Services and cannot access the application Microsoft_Azure_SupportPortalExtension in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first. Sign out and sign in again with a different Azure Active Directory user account.

Session ID: f02dad81340841c68ff42d9490a7d655 Trace ID: 67968765-fd4e-47ed-a831-6f21dde90300 Correlation ID: 0251facb-394d-4274-b60d-b14e2fa4a1a8 Timestamp: 2026-06-21 04:15:38Z Application: Microsoft_Azure_SupportPortalExtension Client ID: e6694c91-1590-4e35-9bb7-b865c638b9c1

I have already tried:

• Refreshing the page
• Using Microsoft Edge InPrivate mode
• Using desktop browser
• Using mobile browser
• Signing out and signing in again
• Logging into LinkedIn first
• Trying the Azure signup page separately

The issue still remains.

Can someone from Microsoft please help me understand how to fix this tenant/provisioning issue?

Do I need my Microsoft personal account to be added to a specific tenant, or does Microsoft need to reset/fix the Microsoft for Startups verification flow for my account?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Joy Maity,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A,

The root cause here is your account having no Microsoft Entra directory associated with it yet. This is explicitly called out in Microsoft's own error code documentation: AADSTS16000 is described as fairly common when signing in with a personal Microsoft account that has no directory associated with it. The "Verify with LinkedIn" button doing nothing is likely a downstream symptom of the same broken session state, not a separate bug.

Here's the fix path:

1. Fully sign out everywhere first. Go to account.microsoft.com → Security → Sign out everywhere. Stale sessions from a previous tenant (your prior startup's tenant) can cause the portal to keep trying to resolve into a tenant context that no longer recognizes your account.
2. Use a single clean browser session. Open a fresh InPrivate/Incognito window and make sure you're signed into only one Microsoft account. Mixing a personal live.com session with any other signed-in work/school account in the same browser profile is a common trigger for this exact error.
3. Create the default directory first. Go directly to portal.azure.com and complete an Azure free account signup with your personal account before trying Founders Hub again. This step provisions a default Microsoft Entra directory for your account, which is the missing piece the AADSTS16000 message is pointing at.
4. Then retry Founders Hub. Once step 3 succeeds and you can land in the Azure portal without errors, go back to the Microsoft for Startups page and try "Verify with LinkedIn" again.

If it still fails after these steps, the most likely remaining cause is a lingering association with your previous (closed) startup tenant on Microsoft's backend, and that part needs Microsoft for Startups support to clear, not something fixable from your side.

Reference: Microsoft Entra authentication and authorization error codes (AADSTS16000)

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