Nowadays, SharePoint admins prefer PowerShell over the Admin Center interface for handling regular tasks. SharePoint’s management shell can automate these tasks, saving administrators a crucial amount of time. Apart from having expertise in SharePoint, administrators also need to be aware of how to resolve the Connect-SPOService: Could not connect to SharePoint Online error. This error persists when the SharePoint administrator attempts to connect to SharePoint Online from its local PowerShell environment. We also received a user query asking for the same issue.
User’s Query:- I am new to SharePoint and PowerShell. I am trying to connect to SharePoint Online using PowerShell but I encounter Connect-SPOService: Could not connect to SharePoint Online. I am frustrated with this issue. If anyone knows how to resolve it, please reply as soon as possible.
In this article, we will discuss the top 7 solutions to get away from this error permanently. So, let’s get started.
Reasons Behind the Connect-SPOService not Connecting to SharePoint Issue
There are numerous reasons why SharePoint administrators face connection issues to connecting to SharePoint Online using PowerShell. Some of them are as follows.
- SharePoint’s legacy authentication
- Incorrect Admin URL while connecting to the SharePoint Online.
- Older version of the SharePoint Online management shell.
- Using PowerShell 7 or above also creates compatibility issues with SharePoint.
- Enabling Multi-factor authentication in the admin account.
7 Solutions to Fix Connect-SPOService: Could not connect to SharePoint Online Error
You can try all of the solutions one by one until the error gets resolved. But we assure you, that one of the solutions discussed below can fix your issue.
Solution 1. Use Modern Authentication Parameter
The Connect-SPOService command uses the older authentication that sometimes creates issues in the execution. So, you can add the modern authentication parameter in the command to fix this error permanently.
$creds = Get-Credential Connect-SPOService -Credential $creds -Url “enter tenant URL” -ModernAuth $true -AuthenticationUrl?https://login.microsoftonline.com/organizations
Solution 2. Correct Your Admin URL
There can be spelling mistakes or incorrect admin URLs. You need to cross-check it and also validate it by signing into the admin center. Make sure you are following the below syntax
https://<tenant-name>-admin.sharepoint.com
Solution 3. Use the Latest SharePoint Online Management Shell
If your using the SharePoint Online management shell previous version. Then it can cause several other issues apart from Connect-SPOService: Could not connect to SharePoint Online error. So, it is required to update SharePoint Online management shell.
Update-Module -Name Microsoft.Online.SharePoint.PowerShell
Solution 4. Use PowerShell Version 5.1
SharePoint Online is not compatible with the latest PowerShell version. You can check your PowerShell version with the below command.
$PSVersionTable.PSVersion
If it is found 7 or above, then you need to downgrade it to 5.1.
Solution 5. Use Connect-PnPOnline Instead of Connect-SPOService
For the MFA-enabled accounts, the Connect-SPOService command creates issues. So, you can use the Connect-PnPOnine to resolve the error.
Solution 6. Use Admin Account
Non-admin accounts cannot connect to SharePoint Online. So, make sure you are connecting the admin account to the SharePoint tenant.
Solution 7. Solve Proxy Issues
If you are using the proxy, then use the below commands to get rid of this error.
$Details = [System.Net.CredentialCache]::DefaultCredentials [System.Net.WebRequest]::DefaultWebProxy.Credentials = $Details
If you are trying to connect to SharePoint Online to perform SharePoint tenant to tenant migration. Then you do not need to do so. You can just simply use the SharePoint Migration Tool to perform a seamless migration. This tool is recommended by SharePoint migration experts.
Using this tool, SharePoint admins can move their data to another account. It supports bulk migration and also provides a date filter to sort the document lists and libraries.
Final Words
In this write-up, we have discussed how to resolve Connect-SPOService: Could not connect to SharePoint Online error. We have elaborated on the best 7 solutions. Now, you can use anyone that resolves your query efficiently.