Cannot Access Azure Devops Organization Anymore

Question

Cannot Access Azure Devops Organization Anymore

Chad Meyer 0

I was trying to move one of the organizations in Azure Devops from my subscription ownership to a client. I attempted to do this by connecting it to Microsoft Entra. Since then, I cannot access the organization.

If I go to my profile for devops (https://aex.dev.azure.com/me) I can see the organization and it says im the owner, but it just spins throwing a 403. If I request access, it sends an email to my email that Im logged in with. I need to be able to access this account to finish my contract and to move it to their possession. Is there a way to revert the change of connecting it to Entra or get me to a state I can access it again?

Arko 4,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-04-08T18:23:34.1033333+00:00

Hi Chad,

When you connected your Azure DevOps organization to Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), the identity provider for that DevOps organization changed. From that point on, only users who exist in the connected Entra tenant can access the organization even if your DevOps profile still shows you as the owner. This is why you're seeing a 403 error when trying to access it.

First, make sure you're browsing the right tenant in DevOps. Go to https://aex.dev.azure.com/me. Click your profile icon in the top-right → Select "Switch directory" and choose the client’s Entra tenant if it shows up. Then try accessing your org again at https://dev.azure.com/{your-org-name}

Since the DevOps org is now linked to the client’s Microsoft Entra ID, your account needs to exist there. Ask the client’s Entra administrator to Go to the Azure Portal → Microsoft Entra ID → Users

If your email is missing, click + New guest user, invite your account, and complete the invitation process. After that, they should go to Azure DevOps → Organization Settings → Users and add you with the appropriate permissions (ideally Project Collection Administrator).

Once you’re added to the Entra tenant, and given access in DevOps, the 403 error should go away. Hope information is helpful for your query. Thanks
Arko 4,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-04-16T04:06:32.3133333+00:00

Hello Chad, following up on this. Hope your issue is resolved.

1 answer

Your answer

Arko 4,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-04-08T18:23:34.1033333+00:00

Hi Chad,

When you connected your Azure DevOps organization to Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), the identity provider for that DevOps organization changed. From that point on, only users who exist in the connected Entra tenant can access the organization even if your DevOps profile still shows you as the owner. This is why you're seeing a 403 error when trying to access it.

First, make sure you're browsing the right tenant in DevOps. Go to https://aex.dev.azure.com/me. Click your profile icon in the top-right → Select "Switch directory" and choose the client’s Entra tenant if it shows up. Then try accessing your org again at https://dev.azure.com/{your-org-name}

Since the DevOps org is now linked to the client’s Microsoft Entra ID, your account needs to exist there. Ask the client’s Entra administrator to Go to the Azure Portal → Microsoft Entra ID → Users

If your email is missing, click + New guest user, invite your account, and complete the invitation process. After that, they should go to Azure DevOps → Organization Settings → Users and add you with the appropriate permissions (ideally Project Collection Administrator).

Once you’re added to the Entra tenant, and given access in DevOps, the 403 error should go away. Hope information is helpful for your query. Thanks
Arko 4,150 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-04-16T04:06:32.3133333+00:00

Hello Chad, following up on this. Hope your issue is resolved.

Answer 1

This seems like when you linked the Azure DevOps organization to Microsoft Entra ID, your access was affected due to permission changes. Kindly try out the steps below to see if you can regain access:

Try accessing DevOps as a Different User

logging in with another Microsoft account that might have access.
If you added another owner/admin before linking to Entra ID, ask them to reassign your permissions.

Check If You Were Removed from the Organization. Since Entra ID now controls access, your user might not be recognized anymore.

Go to the Azure DevOps Portal.
Click on your profile picture → Switch Directory.
See if the correct directory is selected.
If your account is missing, an Azure AD Admin in the client’s organization may need to add you back.

Regain Access via Azure AD (Entra). If your DevOps organization is now linked to the client’s Microsoft Entra ID, ask an Admin of the client’s Entra ID to:

Go to Azure Portal → Entra ID → Users.

Check if your email is listed.

If missing, add your email manually and assign the correct role.

Last resort would be to remove the Entra ID Association:

Find Microsoft documentation to help with disconnecting Microsoft Entra: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/accounts/disconnect-organization-from-azure-ad?view=azure-devops

You can mark it 'Accept Answer' and 'Upvote' if this helped you

Regards,

Obinna

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Cannot Access Azure Devops Organization Anymore

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