Custom branding | Branding themes (Preview) Not Overriding Company Branding in Production External ID Tenant (Free License)

Question

Custom branding | Branding themes (Preview) Not Overriding Company Branding in Production External ID Tenant (Free License)

Surya Pratap BL 0

Custom branding | Branding themes (Preview) Not Overriding Company Branding in Production External ID Tenant (Free License)

Surya Pratap BL 0 Reputation points

2025-12-30T10:24:49.2566667+00:00

Environment Details (Production Tenant – Issue Occurring): - Tenant Type: External (Microsoft Entra External ID CIAM) - License: Microsoft Entra ID Free - Roles: Global Administrator - Tenant age: Older production tenant (used for real applications)

Environment Details (Trial Tenant – Working as Expected): - Tenant Type: External (Microsoft Entra External ID CIAM) - License: Microsoft Entra ID Free - Roles: Global Administrator - Tenant age: Newly created trial tenant -

Identical configuration: Same company branding, same theme creation steps, same app registration and theme assignment – the theme correctly overrides company branding for the assigned application.

Issue Summary: In my production External ID tenant, Branding Themes (Preview) does not override the default Company Branding when signing in to a specific application that has a theme assigned. The sign-in page completely falls back to Company Branding (or neutral branding if applicable), ignoring the theme entirely. However, in a separate trial External ID tenant with exactly the same specifications (free license, external tenant type, same configuration steps), the theme applies correctly and overrides Company Branding as documented.

Troubleshooting Already Performed: - Cleared browser cache, tested in incognito/private mode on multiple browsers/devices/networks. Waited over 1 hour (and tested days later) for propagation. - Confirmed app is registered in the same tenant. - Re-created theme and re-assigned it multiple times. - Tested with different properties (banner logo, background, etc.). - No errors shown in the admin center; live preview partially reflects changes.

Additional Observation: This works perfectly in my trial tenant with identical setup, suggesting the issue may be related to gradual rollout of the preview feature (newer/trial tenants get it faster than older production ones) or some tenant-specific enablement.

Requesting: - Confirmation if Branding Themes (Preview) is fully rolled out to my production tenant. - Any known limitations or delays for older External ID tenants on Free license. - Workarounds or timeline for fix if this is a rollout issue. Thank you for any assistance – this is blocking per-app branding in production.
VEMULA SRISAI 13,230 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-30T16:24:24.1566667+00:00
Hello Surya Pratap BL,

Thank you for sharing the detailed environment and troubleshooting steps. Branding Themes (Preview) in Microsoft Entra External ID are designed to override Company Branding on the sign-in page for apps assigned to a theme, but this feature is still in preview and rollout can vary by tenant.

Please verify the following:

The application is assigned to the theme and uses the correct External ID user flow (check via Run now in the user flow).

The sign-in URL includes the user flow context and points to the correct tenant authority.

All branding assets meet documented size and format requirements.

If these checks pass and the issue persists, it’s likely related to preview rollout differences between older and newer tenants. I recommend opening a support request from the Entra admin center with your tenant ID and app details so we can confirm enablement and track any rollout variance.

For reference:

Customize branding themes (Preview)

Company branding for External ID

1 answer

Your answer

VEMULA SRISAI 13,230 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-30T16:24:24.1566667+00:00

Hello Surya Pratap BL,

Thank you for sharing the detailed environment and troubleshooting steps. Branding Themes (Preview) in Microsoft Entra External ID are designed to override Company Branding on the sign-in page for apps assigned to a theme, but this feature is still in preview and rollout can vary by tenant.

Please verify the following:

The application is assigned to the theme and uses the correct External ID user flow (check via Run now in the user flow).

The sign-in URL includes the user flow context and points to the correct tenant authority.

All branding assets meet documented size and format requirements.

If these checks pass and the issue persists, it’s likely related to preview rollout differences between older and newer tenants. I recommend opening a support request from the Entra admin center with your tenant ID and app details so we can confirm enablement and track any rollout variance.

For reference:

Customize branding themes (Preview)

Company branding for External ID

Answer 1

When using custom branding themes in a production external ID tenant, it's important to understand how these themes interact with company branding. Custom branding themes are designed to provide specific customizations for applications, while company branding applies tenant-wide. If the custom branding is not appearing as expected, it could be due to the following reasons:

Fallback to Default Branding: If certain properties are not defined in the custom branding theme, the system will revert to the default branding. Ensure that all necessary properties are set in your custom theme.
Limits on Custom Themes: You can create up to 5 branding themes per tenant. If you have reached this limit, you may need to modify or delete an existing theme to make room for new customizations.
Live Preview Limitations: The live preview feature only shows changes to the layout and style of the sign-in page, and it does not include custom text overrides. This might lead to confusion if you're expecting to see text changes reflected in the preview.
Reserved Names: Ensure that your branding theme does not use the reserved name "Default theme" as this will cause issues in applying your custom branding.

If you continue to experience issues, reviewing the specific properties defined in your custom branding theme against the requirements and limits outlined in the documentation may help resolve the problem.

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Custom branding | Branding themes (Preview) Not Overriding Company Branding in Production External ID Tenant (Free License)

1 answer

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