Troubleshooting Lync Online (later Skype for Business Online) sign-in issues for admins

How many of your users can’t sign in to Lync?

Details

In the Office 365 admin center, click Service health. A green check mark next to Lync Online indicates no service interruptions.

Is a service interruption preventing you from signing in?

Details

What to do if there’s a service interruption:

1. Save your place in this guide by clicking Save current progress at the bottom of the page.
2. In the O365 admin center, click the service interruption indicator 
   
      for more information.
3. Note the time of the next scheduled status update, and check back periodically until service is restored.
4. If you still cannot sign in to Lync after the interruption has been resolved, return to this guide and click No to continue.
   

We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Wait until the service interruption is resolved, and then try signing in again.

Did this solve your problem?

Details

Office 365 creates a domain for you when you sign up (the domain name includes .onmicrosoft.com). But most companies prefer to use their own domain, like fabrikam.com, for their business email addresses and website.

If your current domain name ends in .onmicrosoft.com, you don’t have a custom domain.

Are you using a custom domain with Office 365?

Details

To check your Office 365 subscription, sign in and go to Admin > Licensing.

What type of Office 365 subscription do you have?

Details

You have a hybrid deployment if your on-premises Lync server shares a domain with your Office 365 organization, and you’ve set up a shared SIP address space with Lync Online.

Do you have a Lync Server 2013 and Lync Online hybrid deployment?

Make sure your Lync Server deployment is set up to work with Lync Online and Office 365. For details, see Planning for Lync Server 2013 Hybrid Deployments and Determine DNS Requirements.

Test your Lync Server hybrid deployment setup

• Test your setup with the Lync Server Remote Connectivity Test.
• If necessary, correct any reported issues, and then try signing in again.
  

Did this solve your problem?

Details

To set up your custom domain, sign in and go to Admin > Setup. Learn more.

Have you already set up your custom domain?

It’s best to take the time and set up your custom domain now. That way we can check for additional issues that might cause sign-in errors in the future.

To set up your custom domain, sign in and go to Admin > Setup. Learn more.

Don’t worry, we’ll save your place, and you can start where you left off.

Set up your custom domain

Now make sure everything works as expected by running the domain troubleshooter in the Office 365 admin center.

Details

Run the domain troubleshooter:

1. Go to the Office 365 admin center and click Domains.
2. Select your custom domain name, and then click Troubleshooting. 
   
   
    
   
3. If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.
   

If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.

Did this solve your problem?

Now make sure everything works as expected by running the domain troubleshooter in the Office 365 admin center.

Details

Run the domain troubleshooter:

1. Go to the Office 365 admin center and click Domains.
2. Select your custom domain name, and then click Troubleshooting. 
   
   
    
   
3. If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.
   

If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.

Did this solve your problem?

Details

To set up your custom domain, sign in and click Email address in the Getting Started pane. (If you don’t see the Getting Started pane, click Setup > Open the Getting Started pane.) Learn more.

Have you already set up your custom domain?

It’s best to take the time and set up your custom domain now. That way we can check for additional issues that might cause sign-in errors in the future.

To set up your custom domain, sign in and click Email address in the Getting Started pane. (Go to Setup > Open the Getting Started pane if you don’t see it. ) Learn more.

Don’t worry, we’ll save your place, and you can start where you left off. Just click Save current progress at the bottom.

Test your custom domain (Small Business)

Now make sure everything works as expected by running the domain troubleshooter in the Office 365 admin center.

If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.

Details

Run the domain troubleshooter:

1. Go to the Office 365 admin center and click Domains.
   
   
    
   
2. Select your custom domain name, and then click Troubleshooting.
   
   
    
   
3. If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Now make sure everything works as expected by running the domain troubleshooter in the Office 365 admin center.

If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.

Details

Run the domain troubleshooter:

1. Go to the Office 365 admin center and click Domains.
   
   
    
   
2. Select your custom domain name, and then click Troubleshooting.
   
   
    
   
3. If you discovered any network setup issues, resolve them, and then try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Can the affected users sign in to Office 365 portal at https://login.microsoftonline.com?

If the users can’t sign in to Office 365, ask them to try the troubleshooting steps suggested in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB 2412085,"You can't sign in to your organizational account such as Office 365, Windows Azure, or Windows Intune".

Did this solve your problem?

Check that the affected users have a valid Lync license.

Details

1. Go to Admin > Office 365 > Users and groups.
2. Choose the name of the user whose licensing status you want to check, and then click Edit
   
    .
3. Verify that the user is licensed for Lync Online.
   
   
    
   Note: Your user license screen may be different from this example.
   
4. Wait 30 minutes, and then ask the user to try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Are the user or users able to sign in to Lync Online on another computer, or on a tablet or smartphone?

Can the user or users sign in on to a different network—for example, at home, or at a public wireless access point?

If users can sign in on a different network, the next step is to make sure your organization’s firewall isn’t blocking Lync traffic. To do to this, run the Lync Online Transport Reliability IP Probe (TRIPP) tool.

Details

Check for blocked ports or URLs:

1. On the affected network, go to the TRIPP tool address that is nearest to the users physical location:
   Amsterdam, NL: http://trippams.online.lync.com
   Blue Ridge, VA: http://trippbl2.online.lync.com
   Dublin, IE: http://trippdb3.online.lync.com
   Hong Kong: http://tripphkn.online.lync.com
   San Antonio, TX: http://trippsn2.online.lync.com
   Singapore: http://trippsg1.online.lync.com
   
2. Click Start Test.
   
3. If any of the tests fail, correct your internal server settings, and then re-run the TRIPP tool to verify your changes.
4. Try signing in again.
   

For more details about the TRIPP tool, see You can't connect to Lync Online, or certain features don't work, because an on-premises firewall blocks the connection

Did this solve your problem?

Does your organization have an internal firewall, proxy server, or DNS server?

Make sure your internal DNS server has the CNAME and SRV records required for internal user sign-in.

Details

Internal Lync autodiscover settings:

For details, see Set up your network for Lync Online.

Did this solve your problem?

Choose the type of device that is having difficulty signing in:

Make sure the computer has the most current updates installed.

Details

Go to Control Panel > Windows Updates.

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the system clock shows the correct time, and then try signing in again.

Details

Update your computer’s system time:

Windows 8

1. Go to a web site that shows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
2. Go to Setting > PC Settings > Time and Language.
3. Note your UTC offset, and compare your device’s time to that shown on the website.
   
   
    
   

If you need to update your device’s time:

1. Turn off Set time automatically and tap Change.
2. Update the time and tap Change.
3. Try signing in again.

Windows 7

1. Go to a web site that shows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
2. Go to Control Panel > Date and Time, and note the UTC offset for your location.
   
   
    
   
3. If you need to, choose Change date and time and update your computer’s clock.
4. Try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Details

If you’re using the desktop version of Lync, here’s how to find out if it’s Lync 2010 or Lync 2013:

Click the arrow next to the Options button

Choose your version of Lync:

Make sure the user has the most current version of the Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant.

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the user has the most current version of the Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant.

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure that previously saved sign-in information isn’t blocking your current sign-in attempt.

Windows 8

Here’s an easy fix: delete Lync 2010 sign-in information

This fix will remove previously saved sign-in information

Just download the fix, then click Run.

Easy fix 20045

Download

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003

Here’s an easy fix: delete Lync 2010 sign-in information

This fix will remove previously saved sign-in information

Just download the fix, then click Run.

Easy fix 50935

Download

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the user has the most current version of Lync 2013.

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure that previously saved sign-in information isn’t blocking the sign-in attempt. Ask the user to:

• Sign out and delete sign-in information.
• Delete cached sign-in credentials.
• Try signing in again.
  

Details

As the user to follow these steps:

1. Click the status menu below your name, and then click Sign Out.
2. On the sign-in screen, click Delete my sign-in info.
   
   
    
   
3. Find your local AppData folder and delete it: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Communicator\<sip_address@contoso.com>
   
4. Try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the computer has the most current updates installed.

Details

Choose Apple

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the system clock shows the correct time, and then try signing in again.

Details

Ask the user to follow these steps:

1. Go to a web site that shows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
2. Go to Apple 
   
    > System Preferences.
3. In the Date & Time pane, click the Date & Time tab.
4. Note the UTC offset for your location.
5. If you need to, update your computer’s clock, and then try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure the user’s computer has the most recent version of Lync for Mac 2011.

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure that previously saved sign-in information isn’t blocking the current sign-in attempt.

Details

First, ask the user to delete the following:

• Users/Home Folder/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.Lync
• Users/Home Folder/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Microsoft Lync History
  

Then, ask the user to delete any corrupted or cached certificates: 

1. Open the Keychain Access certificate management utility. To do this, in Finder, click Applications, click Utilities, and then click Keychain Access. Or, search for Keychain Access by using Spotlight.
   
2. In the left pane, click login, and then click Certificates.
   
3. In the right pane, find any certificate named Unknown or Communications Server, select it, and then delete it.
   Note You may have to unlock your keychain by using your password.
   
4. Close Keychain Access.
5. Restart Lync for Mac.
   

Ask the user to go to the app store for their device and check for updates to the currently installed version of Lync.

Did this solve your problem?

Ask the user to manually add Lync server settings and try signing in again.

Details

Manually add Lync server settings:

1. Go to Lync options
   
     > Personal.
2. Under My account, click Advanced, and then click Manual configuration. 
   
   
     
   
3. Enter sipdir.online.lync.com:443 in both boxes, and then click OK > OK.
4. Sign out, and then try signing back in.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Ask the user to manually add Lync server settings and try signing in again.

Details

Ask the user to follow these steps:

1. Click Advanced.
2. Under Authentication, clear the Use Kerberos check box.
3. Under Connection Settings, click Manual configuration.
4. In both the Internal Server Name box and the External Server Name box, type or paste sipdir.online.lync.com:443.
5. Click OK.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Ask the user to manually add Lync server settings and try signing in again.

Details

Ask the user to follow these steps:

1. On the Lync sign-in screen, tap More Details (Windows) or Show Advanced Options (iPhone, iPad, or Android).
2. Turn off Auto-Detect Server.
3. In both the Internal Discovery Name and External Discovery Name boxes, enter https://webdir.online.lync.com/Autodiscover/autodiscoverservice.svc/Root
4. Click Sign In.
   

We’re glad to hear that your user is back in service. However, we recommend that you contact support for additional help in figuring out why Lync autodiscover isn’t working in this particular case.

Make sure you let them know that you’ve gone through the Lync sign-in guide and reached this page.

Contact support.

Details

Find out if you’ve set up directory synchronization:

1. In the Office 365 admin center, go to User and groups.
2. Check the status of Active Directory synchronization.
   
   
    
   

Is your organization synchronizing Active Directory with Office 365 using the Windows Azure Directory Synchronization Tool?

Is your organization using single sign-on with Office 365? Learn more.

If you had a previous version of Lync Server, or a current Lync installation that’s not configured for hybrid, then existing user attributes carried over from your on-premises Active Directory can conflict with the online values and cause sign-in issues.

To make sure that obsolete or duplicate Active Directory entries are not causing your sign-in issues, use the Active Directory Service Interfaces Editor (ADSI Edit) to

• Check for duplicate SIP addresses
• Make sure the msRTCSIP-UserEnabled attribute for affected users is set to TRUE
  

Details

Check for duplicate SIP addresses:

• KB 2430520: Error in the Office 365 portal: "Value of msRTCSIP-PrimaryUserAddress or the SIP address in the ProxyAddresses field in your local Active Directory is not unique"
  

Check the msRTCSIP-UserEnabled attribute:

• KB 2705378: Error message when you try to sign in to Lync Online: "Cannot sign in to Lync because this sign-in address was not found" 

Did this solve your problem?

Check for known AD FS issues that might prevent single sign-on from working as expected.For details, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB 2839539, "Enterprise single sign-on users in Office 365 can't sign in to Lync Online from inside their corporate network."

Did this solve your problem?

Details

You have a hybrid deployment if you’ve set up a shared SIP address space with Lync Online, and your on-premises Lync server shares a domain with your Office 365 organization.

Do you have a Lync Server 2013 and Lync Online hybrid deployment?

Make sure the users have been

1. Enabled for Lync on the on-premises Lync Server.
2. Licensed for Lync in Office 365.
3. Moved to Lync Online.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Congratulations, you’ve resolved your sign-in issue!

We’re sorry, but we couldn’t resolve your sign-in issue. Contact support for further assistance.

Make sure that previously save network information is not blocking your sign-in attempt, and then try signing in again.

Windows 8

Clear the DNS cache (summary):

• Run the Command prompt app as an administrator, and enter ipconfig /flushdns.

Clear the DNS cache (details):

1. Swipe in from the right or point to the upper right of the screen.
2. Choose Search, and then type command.
3. Select the Command prompt app, and then swipe up from the bottom or right click for options.
4. Choose Run as administrator, and then choose Yes.
5. Enter ipconfig /flushdns.
   

Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003Clear the DNS cache: 

Make sure you have the most current version of Lync Windows Store app:

1. On the Start screen, tap Store.
   
   
    
   
2. Search for Lync, and install the update if one is available.
3. Try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?

Make sure that previously saved sign-in information isn’t blocking your sign-in attempt:

1. On the Lync Windows Store app sign-in screen, tap Delete my sign-in info.
   
   
    
   
2. Try signing in again.
   

Did this solve your problem?