I can't login to to use Azure, "Interaction required" etc errors

Question

I can't login to to use Azure, "Interaction required" etc errors

NW 0

I don't use Azure, I just need it for a WP plugin. I'm just trying to register an app so I can get a Client ID, Tenant ID, and Client Secret. So I go to portal.azure.com. I sign in with my Microsoft account. I get a popup error "Interaction required. The portal encountered an issue while attempting to retrieve access tokens. ... Additional details: interaction_required: AADSTS160021: Application requested a user session which does not exist..."
If I click sign-in again to takes me back to the login page but then I try to sign in and get this error: "Selected user account does not exist in tenant 'Microsoft Services' and cannot access the application '...' in that tenant. The account needs to be added as an external user in the tenant first. Please use a different account."
I can go back to portal.azure.com and appear to be logged in but then get that "Interaction required" error again.

I have tried logging out and back in, different browsers, private windows. I have no idea what any of this means. I don't know what a tenant is. I don't even know what to choose as the child Tag for this question.

VEMULA SRISAI 9,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T18:43:22.3566667+00:00
Hello NW,

You’re running into this because signing in with a personal Microsoft account does not automatically give you an Azure / Entra tenant, which is required to register an application. A tenant is simply a container that holds users and app registrations.

Right now, the Azure portal can partially sign you in, but when it tries to access tenant-based resources (like App registrations), it fails. That’s why you see errors like AADSTS160021 and “Selected user account does not exist in tenant ‘Microsoft Services’”. This is expected when the account isn’t a member of any tenant yet.

To resolve this, you need to create your own Microsoft Entra ID tenant (this is free and does not require an Azure subscription):

Go to https://entra.microsoft.com

Sign in with the same Microsoft account

Open Microsoft Entra ID → Manage tenants → Create

Choose Microsoft Entra ID, fill in the basic details, and create the tenant

After creation, switch to the new tenant:

Click your profile icon (top-right) → Switch directory

Select the tenant you just created

Once switched:

Go to Microsoft Entra ID → App registrations → New registration

Register the app and you’ll be able to see the Client ID, Tenant ID, and create a Client Secret

No Azure subscription, billing, or Azure knowledge is required — you only needed a tenant, which Microsoft unfortunately doesn’t make obvious for first-time users.

If you still see the error after switching directories, fully sign out of the portal and sign back in to ensure the new tenant context is active.
VEMULA SRISAI 9,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T10:46:59.31+00:00

NW I’m following up on my previous comment as I haven’t received a response. Please let me know if you need any additional information or assistance from my side.

2 answers

Your answer

VEMULA SRISAI 9,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T18:43:22.3566667+00:00

Hello NW,

You’re running into this because signing in with a personal Microsoft account does not automatically give you an Azure / Entra tenant, which is required to register an application. A tenant is simply a container that holds users and app registrations.

Right now, the Azure portal can partially sign you in, but when it tries to access tenant-based resources (like App registrations), it fails. That’s why you see errors like AADSTS160021 and “Selected user account does not exist in tenant ‘Microsoft Services’”. This is expected when the account isn’t a member of any tenant yet.

To resolve this, you need to create your own Microsoft Entra ID tenant (this is free and does not require an Azure subscription):

Go to https://entra.microsoft.com

Sign in with the same Microsoft account

Open Microsoft Entra ID → Manage tenants → Create

Choose Microsoft Entra ID, fill in the basic details, and create the tenant

After creation, switch to the new tenant:

Click your profile icon (top-right) → Switch directory

Select the tenant you just created

Once switched:

Go to Microsoft Entra ID → App registrations → New registration

Register the app and you’ll be able to see the Client ID, Tenant ID, and create a Client Secret

No Azure subscription, billing, or Azure knowledge is required — you only needed a tenant, which Microsoft unfortunately doesn’t make obvious for first-time users.

If you still see the error after switching directories, fully sign out of the portal and sign back in to ensure the new tenant context is active.
VEMULA SRISAI 9,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-05T10:46:59.31+00:00

NW I’m following up on my previous comment as I haven’t received a response. Please let me know if you need any additional information or assistance from my side.

Answer 1

jmoyson 0

I had to create a new tenant to resolve the issue. Here’s the link I used: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/

PS: Had to go to Reddit to find the answer (and agree with most of the comments that say it's weird Microsoft can't just make a redirection when this happens ! or at least display a more informative message)

Answer 2

The sign-in errors indicate issues with the Microsoft Entra tenant (directory) behind the account, not with the browser or device.

Key points from the errors described:

interaction_required and Application requested a user session which does not exist indicate the portal cannot get valid tokens for the current tenant/session.
"Selected user account does not exist in tenant 'Microsoft Services' and cannot access the application" means the account is being evaluated against a tenant where it is not a member or guest.

From similar Azure sign-in issues in the context, there are two main patterns and resolutions:

Tenant is blocked or inaccessible
When a tenant is blocked due to inactivity, sign-in can fail with interaction_required and AADSTS errors. In that case, the tenant admin must have the tenant reactivated by Microsoft support within the allowed window. The documented guidance is:
- Administrators can request reactivation of an inactive tenant by contacting Microsoft using the global support phone numbers.
- Avoid opening multiple support requests for the same issue while one is in progress.
- As a workaround to reach the correct tenant, sign in directly with the tenant identifier in the portal URL, for example:
  - https://portal.azure.com/<TenantId>
  - or https://portal.azure.com/<yourTenantName>.onmicrosoft.com
If the tenant is already in a blocked/inactive state, it must be reactivated by Microsoft before normal portal use (including app registration) will work.
Account vs. tenant mismatch
The error stating the selected user account does not exist in the Microsoft Services tenant means the sign-in is being evaluated against a tenant where the account is not present. To proceed, either:
- Use the correct tenant where the account is actually a member (for example, by using the tenant-specific portal URL as above), or
- Have the account added as an external (guest) user in the target tenant if that tenant is where the app must be registered.

If the account is only a personal Microsoft account and there is no active Azure tenant associated with it, or the tenant is blocked, then to obtain Client ID, Tenant ID, and Client Secret for a plugin, one of the following is required:

Reactivate the existing tenant via Microsoft support (if it is blocked/inactive and within the reactivation window), then register the app.
Or create/associate a new tenant that is active, then sign in to that tenant in the Azure portal and register the app there.

In all cases, the underlying requirement is an active Microsoft Entra tenant where the account is a member or guest; without that, app registration for Azure-based authentication cannot proceed.

References:

NW 0 Reputation points

2026-03-02T17:22:11.33+00:00

What is a tenant? This is just my microsoft account. There is no other admin, just me. I don't know know anything about tenants. How do create a tenant if I can't even login?
NW 0 Reputation points

2026-03-02T17:22:45.36+00:00

What is a tenant? This is just my microsoft account. There is no other admin, just me. I don't know know anything about tenants. How do create a tenant if I can't even login?

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I can't login to to use Azure, "Interaction required" etc errors

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