Auto-connect for Microsoft integrations

Overview

If your organization uses Microsoft SSO to sign in to Simpplr, supported Microsoft apps can connect automatically when a user signs in. This removes the need for users to manually authorize each Microsoft integration one by one. Auto-connect helps reduce setup steps for end users while giving App Managers control over which Microsoft apps connect automatically. 

Supported sign-in methods

Auto-connect is supported for organizations using Microsoft SSO through both OIDC and SAML, when the related Microsoft app integrations are enabled.

Supported apps

Auto-connect is supported for the following Microsoft apps:

How it works

When a user signs in to Simpplr with Microsoft SSO, Simpplr uses that authenticated Microsoft identity to automatically connect supported Microsoft apps on the user's behalf.

• Users do not need to select Connect for each supported Microsoft app if auto-connect is enabled.

• The same Microsoft identity used during sign-in is used for the supported app connection.

• Existing manual connection workflows remain available. Organizations can still use the standard connect flow if they prefer.

• Auto-connect applies only to supported Microsoft apps that are enabled by your organization and allowed in the active Microsoft SSO configuration used at login.

• For organizations that use more than one Microsoft SSO setup, auto-connect behavior follows the specific SSO configuration used during that login. Settings from a different Microsoft identity provider do not carry over into that session.

Requirements

Auto-connect is available only when all of the following prerequisites are met:

• Your organization must use Microsoft SSO for Simpplr.

• The corresponding Microsoft app integration must already be connected and enabled in Manage > Application> Integrations.

• Auto-connect must be enabled for the relevant supported app in the Microsoft SSO configuration.

Turning on auto-connect by itself is not enough. If the matching Microsoft app is not connected or not enabled in Manage > Application> Integrations, the app will not auto-connect for users.

Best practice: Enable the Microsoft app integration in Application first, then enable auto-connect for the apps you want users to access automatically.

Turning on auto-connect

Before you begin, make sure Microsoft SSO is already set up for your organization. If it isn't, set that up first. See [Connecting Microsoft SSO], since auto-connect is configured from within your existing Microsoft SSO setup.

Part 1: Get your Application ID from Azure

Simpplr needs a unique ID from your Microsoft Azure app so it knows which app to auto-connect to. You'll need access to your organization's Azure portal for this.

💡 Tip: Already have your Application (client) ID (also called the Consumer key)? You can Skip to Part 2.

1. Sign in to the Azure portal (Microsoft Azure ).

2. In the search bar, go to App registrations.

   

3. Find and open the app you created for your SSO.

4. You'll land on the Overview page automatically. Look for a field called Application (client) ID. It's a long string of letters and numbers.

   

5. Click the copy icon next to it to copy the ID. Tip: copy it carefully, since even one wrong character will stop auto-connect from working.

6. Make sure the Microsoft integrations you want (like OneDrive, Outlook, or SharePoint) are enabled:

   

   1. Go to Settings → Application → Integrations.

   2. On the side menu, click Domains, then scroll down to the Microsoft section.

   3. Click “Add domain name” and select the integrations you'd like to enable and save.

      

7. Turning on these integrations automatically installs a small helper app (called the Middle-Tier App) in your Microsoft tenant. Just double-check that it's there.

8. In the left menu, under Manage, click API permissions.

9. Click Add a permission.

10. Select Microsoft Graph from the list of APIs.

11. Click Delegated permissions (your app needs to access the API as the signed-in user).

    

12. In the search box, find and check each of these permissions: email, offline_access, openid, profile, User.Read.

13. Click Add permissions to save them.

14. Add the access_as_user permission you created earlier:

    • Click Add a permission again.

    • Select the APIs my organization uses tab.

    • Search for the name of your Middle-Tier App. (Simpplr OR “4c0b387a-9697-476e-996c-1e93560b32fa”)

    • Select access_as_user.

    • Click Add permissions.

      

15. Click Grant admin consent for Simpplr Canada Inc again to approve this new permission, then click Yes to confirm.

16. If the SSO is through SAML,

    1. In the same App, we need to go to “Authentication (Preview)” tab.

    2. Click Add Redirect URI, then select Single-page application.

       

       Enter your Redirect URI, this should be your Simpplr’s instance URL.

       

    3. Click Configure to save.

This enables the Silent Token Acquisition flow from the client side.

Part 2: Turn on auto-connect in Simpplr

1. In your Simpplr’s instance, go to Settings > Application, then open the Security tab. This is the same place where Microsoft SSO was originally set up.

2. Select the External IdP (SSO) tab.

3. Find the Microsoft SSO connection you want to update, and click the ⋯ (three dots) next to it.

   

4. The SSO configuration modal will open. Scroll down to the Auto-connect to apps section.

5. Turn on the Auto-connect to apps toggle.

6. If you have OIDC, Update the Default scopes text field with these scopes

   openid profile email offline_access

7. In the Consumer key field, paste the Application (client) ID from your Microsoft Entra app registration. This identifies the application that Simpplr uses to authenticate with Microsoft.

   

8. Choose which apps you'd like to auto-connect: OneDrive, Outlook Calendar, and/or SharePoint.

9. (Optional) If you'd like previously disconnected apps to reconnect automatically the next time a user signs in, turn on Auto-connect apps after manual disconnect. Leave this off if you'd rather respect a user's choice to disconnect an app.

10. Click Save.

After setup

Once Auto-connect is enabled, users who sign in with Microsoft SSO are automatically connected to supported Microsoft apps. They no longer need to manually connect these apps individually.

What app managers can control

App Managers can manage auto-connect behavior for supported Microsoft apps from the Microsoft SSO configuration. Specifically, App Managers can:

• Enable or disable auto-connect for supported Microsoft integrations.

• Choose which supported apps are included, such as OneDrive, Outlook Calendar, or SharePoint.

• Control whether supported apps should reconnect automatically after a user manually disconnects them.

Default behavior for manual disconnects: App Managers can choose to prevent auto-connection after a user manually disconnects an app. This option is designed to respect user intent while still allowing organizations to enable automatic reconnection if preferred.

What users can expect

Troubleshooting

A supported Microsoft app did not connect automatically after Microsoft SSO sign-in.

• What happened: Auto-connect requires both the app integration to be enabled in App management and auto-connect to be turned on in the Microsoft SSO configuration. If either of these is missing, the app will not connect automatically.

• What to do: Go to Settings → Applications → Integrations and confirm that the relevant Microsoft app integration is connected and enabled. Then check the Microsoft SSO configuration and confirm that auto-connect is turned on for that app. Both settings must be active for auto-connect to work.

Only some Microsoft apps connected automatically, but others did not.

• What happened: Auto-connect is configured per app. If auto-connect is enabled for some apps but not others, only the enabled apps connect automatically after sign-in.

• What to do: Open the Microsoft SSO configuration and review which apps have auto-connect enabled. Enable auto-connect for any additional apps that should connect automatically, and confirm they are also enabled in App Management.

No Microsoft apps connected automatically even though auto-connect is turned on.

• What happened: Auto-connect may be enabled in the SSO configuration, but the corresponding Microsoft app integrations may not be connected or enabled in App Management. Enabling auto-connect alone is not sufficient.

• What to do: Go to Settings → Applications → Integrations and confirm that each supported app you want to auto-connect is connected and enabled. Once that is confirmed, verify that auto-connect is turned on for those apps in the Microsoft SSO configuration.

A user manually disconnected a Microsoft app and it reconnected automatically on the next sign-in, which was not expected.

• What happened: The App Management setting for reconnect behavior after a manual disconnect is configured to allow automatic reconnection. This setting controls whether apps reconnect on the next Microsoft SSO login after a user manually disconnects them.

• What to do: Open the Microsoft SSO configuration and update the reconnect behavior setting to prevent auto-connection after a manual disconnect. This respects user intent and stops the app from reconnecting automatically.

A user manually disconnected a Microsoft app and it did not reconnect automatically, even though auto-connect is on.

• What happened: The App Management setting for reconnect behavior after a manual disconnect is configured to prevent automatic reconnection. This is the default behavior designed to respect user intent.

• What to do: If automatic reconnection after a manual disconnect is preferred for your organization, open the Microsoft SSO configuration and update the reconnect behavior setting to allow it.

A Microsoft app shows a connected state but is not actually working for the user.

• What happened: Token exchange or downstream Microsoft authorization may have failed during the auto-connect process. In this case, the app should not show a false connected state, but there may be an underlying authorization issue with the Microsoft identity used during sign-in.

• What to do: Ask the user to manually disconnect the app and reconnect it using the standard connect flow under People > External apps. If the issue persists, verify that the user's Microsoft account has the necessary permissions for the app in question.

Auto-connect did not work for a user who abandoned the Microsoft sign-in before completing authentication.

• What happened: If a user cancels or abandons the Microsoft sign-in flow before authentication completes, no app connections are created from that attempt. This is expected behavior.

• What to do: Ask the user to sign in again with Microsoft SSO and complete the authentication flow without canceling. Auto-connect will run once authentication completes successfully.

A user who belongs to an organization with multiple Microsoft SSO configurations is seeing unexpected auto-connect behavior.

• What happened: Auto-connect behavior follows the specific SSO configuration used during that login. If the user signed in through a different Microsoft identity provider than expected, the auto-connect settings from the other configuration do not carry over.

• What to do: Confirm which Microsoft SSO configuration was active during the user's login. Review the auto-connect settings for that specific configuration to ensure it is set up as intended.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do users need to manually connect each Microsoft app if auto-connect is enabled? A: No. If auto-connect is enabled and all prerequisites are met, supported apps can connect automatically when the user signs in with Microsoft SSO.

Q: Which Microsoft apps are supported for auto-connect? A: OneDrive, Outlook Calendar, and SharePoint.

Q: Can users still connect Microsoft apps manually if auto-connect is enabled? A: Yes. Existing manual connection workflows remain supported and are available alongside auto-connect.

Q: Does auto-connect work with both OIDC and SAML Microsoft SSO? A: Yes. The feature supports both OIDC and SAML Microsoft SSO flows when the configuration and app prerequisites are met.

Q: If a user manually disconnects an app, will it reconnect automatically on the next sign-in? A: That depends on your organization's App Management settings. App Managers can control whether supported apps should reconnect automatically after a manual disconnect.

Q: What happens if auto-connect is enabled but the app is not set up in App Management? A: The app will not auto-connect. Both auto-connect and the corresponding app integration in App Management must be enabled for auto-connect to work.

Q: What happens if a user signs in using a different Microsoft SSO configuration? A: Auto-connect behavior follows the specific SSO configuration used during that login. Settings from a different Microsoft identity provider do not carry over into that session.