Cannot Sign Into Power Bi Desktop With M365 Account

Question

Cannot Sign Into Power Bi Desktop With M365 Account

Cleon Russell 110

We have user who is unable to sign into Power Bi Desktop.

The is experiencing issues signing in to Power BI with a Microsoft 365 account. The user can still access reports, data sources, and existing content, but Power BI is prompting for sign-in and authentication is failing with the following error:

AADSTS70007: The application requested an unsupported mode when requesting a token.

Do we know if there have been any changes to the method of sign in/auth ?

And is there a way round this apart from upgrading Power Bi Desktop?

I found this MS Learn link- but did not want to update in case Data Sources are cleared.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/power-bi/connect-data/desktop-troubleshooting-sign-in#sign-in-error-when-using-the-default-web-browser

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Yes. This error is a known sign-in issue in older versions of Power BI Desktop when Use my default web browser is enabled.

The specific failure matches:

AADSTS70007 / “The application requested an unsupported mode 'query' when requesting a token”

This can occur when a user:

Signs in to Power BI Desktop
Signs in to a data source that uses organizational authentication such as SharePoint, Exchange, or SQL Azure
Refreshes data from those sources

The supported fix is to update to the latest version of Power BI Desktop, then restart Power BI Desktop and sign in again.

If upgrading is not possible immediately, the documented workaround is:

Open File > Options and settings > Options
Select Security
Clear Use my default web browser
Restart Power BI Desktop
Sign in again

If Power BI Desktop sign-in works after that but the user still cannot authenticate to the data source, also do this:

Open File > Options and settings > Options
Select Security
Enable Use updated sign-in experience for data sources
Reconnect to the data source and sign in again

So, there is a workaround other than upgrading: disable Use my default web browser and restart the app. The issue is tied to older Power BI Desktop sign-in behavior rather than a general Microsoft 365 authentication change.

References:

Troubleshoot sign-in for Power BI Desktop

Answer 2

Hendrix 990 Independent Advisor

Hi Cleon,

Regarding your concern, the forum AI-suggested answer does provide appropriate information: the error AADSTS70007 is documented as a known sign-in issue affecting older versions of Power BI Desktop. It does not currently indicate that the user’s reports or source definitions have been removed, nor does it necessarily indicate an account, MFA, licensing, or Conditional Access issue.

If you want to avoid updating Power BI, you can try disabling the "Use my default web browser" option to see if it works:

Go to File > Options and settings > Options > Security
Clear "Use my default web browser" then restart Power BI Desktop
Try signing in again to see if it works.

If Desktop sign-in succeeds but organizational data sources still fail, enable "Use updated sign-in experience for data sources" and reconnect.

The article you have found is the correct troubleshooting article for this error, as Microsoft’s supported long-term resolution is to update Power BI Desktop. If the above troubleshooting steps don't work, then you need to update as the Microsoft document suggests. Before updating, please back up the PBIX files. A normal Desktop upgrade will preserve the data source definitions stored in the PBIX.

Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-26T22:51:14.4733333+00:00

Good day Cleon,

Have you reviewed the provided answer? Please let me know if there are any updates.
Cleon Russell 110 Reputation points

2026-08-27T18:02:41.2633333+00:00

Hi, thank you for your help.

We tried this yesterday however it did not work.

The other option from MS Learn was update Power Bi, however I didn't really want to do this.

If I have to can you advise on the best way to back Power Bi - Data Sources/settings/data etc?
Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-27T21:34:17.76+00:00
Hi Cleon,

As the alternative browser sign-in option did not resolve the AADSTS70007 error, the next recommended action is still to update Power BI Desktop.

The update should not clear the reports, queries, models, or data-source definitions stored in the PBIX files. To ensure no unintended losses occur, before proceeding:

Back up all .pbix and .pbit files.

Back up any local Excel, CSV, or other source files used by the reports.

Take screenshots of File > Options and settings > Data source settings.

Record any Power Query parameter values.

Back up the following folder if custom connectors are used: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Power BI Desktop\Custom Connectors

Record the current Power BI Desktop version under File → About.

Please do not select Clear Permissions (this removes cached data-source credentials)

Once backed up, you can now install the latest Power BI Desktop version. After finished, test sign-in and refresh using a copied PBIX file first to ensure everything is good.
Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-31T23:22:56.84+00:00

Hi Cleon,

I hope you're having a great day.

It’s been a pleasure working with you on this thread.

If you're still experiencing any issues or have come across new challenges, feel free to let me know if there's anything you're currently stuck on. I’m here and happy to assist whenever it’s convenient for you.

Thank you again for your time and collaboration. I look forward to hearing from you whenever you're ready.

Warm regards.
Cleon Russell 110 Reputation points

2026-09-03T15:47:08.47+00:00

I am waiting to hear back from the user.

I plan to follow your steps and then upgrade.

I will the other workaround once more also.
Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-03T17:14:44.28+00:00

Hi Cleon,

Greatly appreciate your update. Please feel free to reach out again anytime if you have any news or need further assistance.
Cleon Russell 110 Reputation points

2026-09-08T18:37:57.4333333+00:00

I have updated Power Bi today to the new version - Version: 2.157.1354.0 the M365 login issue now is resolved.

I backed up the PBIX files as I had a feeling there would be issues.

The update was completed but the user has been disconnected from all Data sources.

Do I just need to re import the files?

Regards

Cleon
Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-08T22:40:56.64+00:00
Hi Cleon,

Thank you for the update. I’m pleased to hear that updating Power BI Desktop resolved the issue

You should not re-import the source files as doing so could create duplicate queries or tables. The data-source connection details and queries should still be contained in the PBIX files. The update may invalidate/remove the locally cached credentials, so the existing sources need to be reauthenticated:

Open the PBIX file.

Go to File > Options and settings > Data source settings.

Select Data sources in current file > select each source and choose Edit Permissions.

Under Credentials, select Edit and sign in using the appropriate account.

Once all sources have been authenticated, select Refresh and check whether the data loads successfully.
Cleon Russell 110 Reputation points

2026-09-09T19:25:13.2533333+00:00

Hi, Just to give a update.

I managed to re connect Data Sources - they needed use the Windows account, it seemed after the update the Microsoft Account became the default method for connecting to them.

Thank you very much for your help.

The final issue I have now is when the user is trying to publish a report they are getting a Gateway error.

I will attempt to copy a working connection.

Any help would be appreciated.
Hendrix 990 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-09T23:53:32.2466667+00:00
Hi Cleon,

Thank you for the update. I’m pleased to hear that the data sources have now been reconnected using Windows authentication.

The new error appears to be related to the gateway mapping in the Power BI Service that it cannot currently find an available gateway connection for the data source.

Before copying or creating another connection, I suggest checking whether the published model is mapped to an existing gateway connection:

Sign in to the Power BI Service and open the workspace where the report was published.

Locate the report’s semantic model and open Settings > expand Gateway and cloud connections.

Check whether an existing connection is displayed for each data source > select the appropriate connection and choose Apply.

If no matching connection is available, please go to Settings > Manage connections and gateways and confirm:

The gateway shows as Online and a connection exists

The server and database details exactly match those used in Power BI Desktop.

The connection uses the correct authentication method, likely Windows authentication.

The Windows account configured on the gateway has permission to access the source.

The user or semantic model owner has permission to use that gateway connection.

All data sources used by the report have been added and mapped.

An existing working gateway connection may be reused if the source type, server, database, and authentication requirements match. However, it's best to avoid replacing or deleting the working connection, as this could affect other reports that currently use it.