Microsoft Entra ID: AADSTS700016: Application with identifier was not found
The client_id in the request does not exist in the tenant the request was sent to. Usually the app is single tenant and the code points at /common or /organizations, or a user from another organisation is signing in to an app that was never made multi-tenant. Copying the object ID instead of the application (client) ID gives the same error, as does a sign-in that races the app registration on first deploy.
Quick fix
Read the commands before running them. Anything that restarts a service, deletes data or changes permissions should be tried on a non-production system first.
# Which tenant and client ID did the request use? Both are in the authorize URL
# https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant>/oauth2/v2.0/authorize?client_id=<id>
# Does that client ID exist in that tenant? Use the Application (client) ID
az ad app show --id <client-id> --query "{name:displayName, audience:signInAudience}"
az account show --query tenantId
# Single tenant app: use the tenant ID, not /common
# authority = "https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-id>"
# Users from other organisations need the app to be multi-tenant
az ad app update --id <client-id> --sign-in-audience AzureADMultipleOrgs
# Then each external tenant creates a service principal by consentingHow to diagnose Auth errors
Identity errors are almost always configuration mismatches between two systems rather than code bugs: a redirect URI registered with a trailing slash, a client secret that was rotated on one side only, a clock that has drifted past the token skew allowance. Because the identity provider deliberately returns vague errors to avoid leaking information to attackers, the provider's own log is usually far more informative than the message your application receives.
If the quick fix above does not resolve it, work through these steps. They apply to this whole class of error, not just to this one message, which is usually what saves the time.
- Open the identity provider's log or event stream first. Auth0, Okta and Keycloak all record a detailed reason that they never send back to the client.
- Compare the redirect URI byte for byte, including scheme, port and trailing slash.
http://localhost:3000/callbackandhttp://localhost:3000/callback/are different URIs. - Decode the token rather than guessing. Paste it into a local JWT decoder and check
iss,aud,expandnbf, never a remote paste site, because tokens are credentials. - Check clock skew with
timedatectlorntpq -p. Kerberos, SAML and JWT all reject tokens outside a tight time window, and a drifting VM clock produces intermittent, unreproducible auth failures. - For passkeys and WebAuthn, verify the Relying Party ID matches the origin exactly and that the page is served over HTTPS or on
localhost. Nothing else is a secure context.
Tools worth reaching for
Provider audit logsjwt decoding (locally)openssl x509 -noout -textbrowser devtools network tab
Authoritative references
Primary documentation for this error, worth reading before applying any fix in production.
Related Auth errors
- Auth.js: UntrustedHost: Host must be trusted. URL was: http://localhost:3000Auth.js (NextAuth v5) will not build callback URLs from a Host header it has not been told to…
- Auth0: Callback URL mismatchAuth0 rejected the login because the redirect URL in the request is not in the application's…
- Google OAuth: Error 403: access_denied, app is in testingThe OAuth consent screen is in Testing mode, which only allows the accounts explicitly listed…
- JWT: token used before issued / not valid yetValidation compared the token's iat or nbf claim against the verifier's clock and decided the…
- Keycloak: Cookie not found. Please make sure cookies are enabledKeycloak sets a cookie when the login page loads and expects it back when the form is…
- Keycloak: Invalid parameter: redirect_uriKeycloak rejected the redirect URI because it is not listed in the client's Valid Redirect…
- Keycloak: Invalid token issuer. Expected 'http://keycloak:8080/realms/myrealm'The token's iss claim comes from whichever hostname the client used to reach Keycloak, and…
- MFA: challenge timeout / code expiredA TOTP or push challenge was rejected because it expired or the device clock drifted outside…
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Something missing or wrong?
This entry is maintained by hand. If the fix is out of date, incomplete, or you have a better one, email a correction and it will be reviewed.