Troubleshooting sign-in and consent

Dockli uses Microsoft’s secure sign-in (MSAL) through the Windows account broker (WAM) — the same account system built into Windows. Your token never touches the interface; it stays in an encrypted store owned by Dockli’s local service. Find your symptom below.

I can’t sign in / the wrong account type

Symptom: Sign-in fails, loops back to the sign-in screen, or your account isn’t accepted.

Cause: Dockli requires a Microsoft 365 work or school account — the account your organization gave you for SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive. A personal Microsoft account (an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com, or similar consumer account) can’t be used and will be rejected.

Fix

1. On the Dockli sign-in screen, click Sign in.
2. In the Windows account picker, choose your work or school account — not a personal one.
3. If your work account isn’t listed, choose Use another account and enter your organizational email (for example you@yourcompany.com).
4. Complete any multi-factor prompt your organization requires.

”An administrator needs to approve this app”

Symptom: During sign-in you see a Microsoft message like “Need admin approval” or “An administrator needs to approve this app before you can use it.”

Cause: Your organization requires admin consent before new apps can access Microsoft 365 on a user’s behalf. This is a tenant policy, not a Dockli fault — Dockli simply can’t be granted access until an administrator approves it once for the tenant.

Fix

1. Note the message (there’s sometimes an option to request approval — use it if present).
2. Send your IT administrator the Admin consent guide. They approve Dockli once for the whole tenant.
3. After they’ve granted consent, return to Dockli and click Sign in again.

Once admin consent is in place, every user in your organization can sign in without seeing this message again. See Admin consent for the exact steps an administrator follows.

The consent screen keeps reappearing (consent loop)

Symptom: You approve the permissions prompt, but it comes back the next time — or immediately.

Cause: Either the consent didn’t complete (the window was dismissed early), or your tenant blocks user consent and is silently withholding it, so the request never sticks.

Fix

1. Run through sign-in again and, at the consent prompt, read it fully and click Accept — don’t close the window.
2. If it still returns, your tenant most likely requires admin consent (see the section above). User consent alone won’t clear the loop when the tenant disallows it.
3. Ask your IT administrator to grant tenant-wide admin consent using Admin consent.

Sign-in hangs on “Checking sign-in…”

Symptom: Dockli shows “Checking sign-in…” and doesn’t move on.

Cause: On a cold start, Dockli’s local service confirms your session before showing the right screen. This is normally instant, but a slow or blocked network (or a service that’s just starting up) can stretch it.

Fix

1. Give it a few seconds — a first launch after your PC has been idle can take a moment.
2. If it doesn’t clear, check your internet connection.
3. Close all File Explorer windows to fully quit Dockli, then reopen File Explorer and click Dockli.
4. If your organization uses a firewall or proxy, confirm the Dockli and Microsoft 365 endpoints are reachable — see Endpoints to allowlist and Performance and network.

Switching, adding, or signing out of accounts

Dockli supports multiple accounts at once (Teams-style), and the account menu stays available even on the sign-in and licensing screens so you can always switch.

Switch to another account

1. Open the account menu (your avatar, top-right).
2. Choose the account you want. Dockli re-scopes everything — sites, favorites, and license — to that account, silently where possible.

Add another account

1. Open the account menu and choose Add account.
2. Complete the Windows account picker for the new work or school account.
3. The new account becomes active.

Sign out

1. Open the account menu (or use the Sign out button on a gated screen) and choose Sign out.
2. Dockli signs out only the active account and promotes the next added account, if you have one. If no other account remains, you’re returned to the sign-in screen.

Still stuck?

If sign-in still fails after these steps, email support@dockli.io with the exact Microsoft message you see (a screenshot helps), your work account’s email domain, and whether your organization has completed Admin consent. See also Signing in.