MS Azure Storage Explorer requires me to reauthenticate 3 times every time multiple times a day

Question

A few months ago, I started having issues with authentication in Azure Storage Explorer. No other users at my company seem to be having these issues.

When I first open the application, I have to Reauthenticate every time but rarely do I have to use MFA by entering a code in the Authenticator app. I used to have to do this every week or so.

After the reauthentication is successful (browser pops up; subscriptions all selected in Account Management), I navigate to the Explorer tab and expand the key icon for one of the folders without issue. Then, I expand one of the files under the Storage Accounts without issues.

When I click on 'Blob Containers', I get an error/message and have to reauthenticate again - 'Unable to retrieve child resources' 'No Refresh Token found in the cache'.

Mind you, this is immediately after I just reauthenticated. So, I do it again (browser pops up, all subscriptions selected).

Then, I navigate back to the Explorer tab and click on the folder I want and navigate to a file (any file). When I double click to open the file, I get another error in the Activities panel that with a red x that says "Failed to start transfer: Insufficient credentials."

So, I reauthenticate again and am able to open the file.

This reauthentication lasts for a while (while I am continuously accessing/opening files) before I have to repeat the process.

Please help! This app is run by one of our vendor's and they have told me that there is nothing wrong on their side (and no other users have reported this issue) and that it must be a laptop setting. I haven't knowingly/manually changed any settings.

I did try to manually sync my date/time as this was suggested and this did not work.

Answer 1

Hi Christine D,

Greetings & Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum! Thanks for posting your query!

It appears you are encountering issues with reauthentication in Azure Storage Explorer, which can be quite frustrating. The frequent need to reauthenticate may be related to Conditional Access policies set by your Microsoft Entra admin. These policies can require you to reenter credentials more often, especially if the refresh token has expired or if multifactor authentication is needed.

To address the issue of "No Refresh Token found in the cache," you might want to try the following steps:

1. Reset Storage Explorer: Go to Help > Reset and ensure that at least Authentication is selected. This can help clear any cached credentials that might be causing problems.
2. Remove and Re-add Accounts: Open Storage Explorer, remove all accounts, and then close the application. After that, delete the .IdentityService folder from your machine. This folder is typically located at:
   • Windows: C:\users\<username>\AppData\Local
   • Mac/Linux: Root of your user directory.
3. Check Conditional Access Policies: If you frequently have to reenter credentials, discuss this with your Microsoft Entra admin to understand if there are specific policies affecting your account.

References:

Frequently having to reenter credentials

Reauthentication loop or UPN change

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Answer 2

Hi @Christine D

In addition to the above answer, you can try using the new version of Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer (v1.37.0)

Now, for sign in

• Go to Settings in Microsoft Azure Storage Explorer -> Application -> Sign-in option -> use the Authentication broker

Please do not forget to "Accept the answer” and “up-vote” wherever the information provided helps you, this can be beneficial to other community members.

If you have any other questions or are still running into more issues, let me know in the “comments” and I would be happy to help you.