Open External OneNote page gives "can't sign in error" but opens in browser

Matt Suderman 20 Reputation points
2024-02-23T20:38:08.17+00:00

We have 2 companies (tenants) and need employees from both companies to be in channels from each company.

We are trying using External Sharing. The Channels generally work fine but there are a couple nagging issues that come up from time to time then go away...it's weird.

This issue happens for every user every time.

On an External (other company) channel, there is a OneNote page that is surfaced as a tab in the Team.

  1. When the external user clicks on the tab there is a Permissions popup
  2. After the user presses Continue and enters their credentials
  3. An error message comes up
  4. Meanwhile, on the tab page an option to open in browser appears.
  5. When the user clicks it, the page shows just fine.

So clearly the user has permissions, but the app won't let them in.

I've opened up everything in Entra cross tenant B2B stuff (users and Applications)

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated.

User's image

OneNote
OneNote
A family of Microsoft products that enable users to capture, organize, and reuse notes electronically.
177 questions
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams
A Microsoft customizable chat-based workspace.
9,505 questions
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Danish Gul Khattak 335 Reputation points
    2024-02-24T03:58:15.4366667+00:00

    It seems like you've taken some steps to enable cross-tenant collaboration but are encountering issues with accessing a OneNote page within an External (other company) channel. Here are some additional steps you can consider:

    1. Verify OneNote Permissions: Ensure that the external users have the necessary permissions on the OneNote page. Double-check the sharing settings and confirm that the external users have at least view or edit permissions.
    2. Check External Sharing Settings: Review external sharing settings not only within your collaboration platform but also within OneNote. Confirm that external sharing is allowed on the specific notebook or page.
    3. Consistent Authentication: Confirm that both companies use consistent authentication methods. If one company is using multi-factor authentication or other additional security measures, it might affect the authentication process.
    4. Cross-Tenant Permissions: Check and ensure that the cross-tenant permissions are set up correctly not only in your collaboration platform but also in Azure AD or any identity provider you're using.
    5. Browser Compatibility: Confirm that the users are using supported browsers, and suggest trying different browsers to rule out browser-related issues.
    6. App Version Consistency: Ensure that all users have the latest version of the collaboration app. Inconsistent app versions could lead to compatibility issues.
    7. Logging and Monitoring: Implement logging and monitoring to capture detailed information about the authentication process. This could provide insights into any specific errors or issues occurring during authentication.
    8. Support Channels: If the issue persists, reach out to the support channels of your collaboration platform and OneNote service. They might have specific troubleshooting steps or insights into common issues related to cross-tenant collaboration.

    By systematically addressing these points, you can narrow down the potential causes of the authentication issue and work towards a resolution.

    0 comments
  2. LiweiTian-MSFT 16,450 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor
    2024-02-26T02:11:39.04+00:00

    Hi @Matt Suderman

    Could you please tell me:

    Does the same problem occur with the Teams web client?

    If OneNote can be viewed normally on the Teams web client, please try clearing the Teams desktop client cache and restarting to see if the problem is resolved.

    User's image

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.