Does web Outlook periodically ask for authentication?

Question

Hi All,

User's mailbox is hosted in Exchange Online and she only uses it through web browser (Web Outlook).

Should it ask for sign-in approval (in Microsoft Authenticator) if the browser is closed for several hours and Microsoft 365 password is not saved in the web browser?

In other words a user works in Web Outlook (in Google Chrome) and Microsoft 365 password is not saved in the web browser. The users closes web browser before finisher their work. Next morning when the browser is opened the user gets sign-in request window. Is that a behavior by design?

Answer 1

Hi @X-Box-11-2021 ,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A platform!

Yes, this behavior is by design. When users close their web browser and reopen it a few hours later, they may be prompted to sign in again because of security measures in place to protect their account. Because Microsoft 365 passwords are not saved in the browser, the session is not persisted and the user will need to authenticate again.

Additionally, if multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled, users will be prompted to approve sign-in requests through Microsoft Authenticator or other configured methods. This helps ensure that only authorized users can access accounts, even if the browser session has expired.

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Please feel free to contact me for any updates. And if this helps, don't forget to mark it as an answer.

Best,

Jake Zhang