Connect to Office 365 PowerShell

12/15/2017
5 minutes to read
Contributors

Summary: Connect to your Office 365 organization using Office 365 PowerShell to perform Office 365 administration tasks from the command line.

Office 365 PowerShell lets you to manage your Office 365 settings from the command line. Connecting to Office 365 PowerShell is a simple three-step process where you install the required software, run the required software, and then connect to your Office 365 organization.

Note that these connection instructions are the same as those in the topic Azure ActiveDirectory (MSOnline).

Tip

New to PowerShell? See a video Overview of PowerShell, brought to you by LinkedIn Learning.

What do you need to know before you begin?

Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes
You can use the following versions of Windows:
- Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8 or Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
- Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
  
  Note
  Use a 64-bit version of Windows. Support for the 32-bit version the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell was discontinued in October of 2014.
The Office 365 work or school account that you use for these procedures needs to be a member of an Office 365 admin role. For more information, see About Office 365 admin roles.

Step 1: Install required software

These steps are required once on your computer, not every time you connect. However, you'll likely need to install newer versions of the software periodically.

Install the 64-bit version of the Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant: Microsoft Online Services Sign-in Assistant for IT Professionals RTW.
Install the 64-bit version of the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell with these steps:
- Open the Azure Active Directory Connection web page.
- In Files in Download at the bottom of the page, click Download for the AdministrationConfig-V1.1.166.0-GA.msi file, and then install it.

Step 2: Open the Windows Azure Active Directory Module

Find and open the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell by using one of the following methods based on your version of Windows:
- Start menu From the desktop, click Start, and then type Azure.
- No Start menu Search forAzure using any of these methods:
- On the Start screen, click an empty area, and type Azure.
- On the desktop or the Start screen, press the Windows key+Q. In the Search charm, type Azure.
- On the desktop or the Start screen, move your cursor to the upper-right corner, or swipe left from the right edge of the screen to show the charms. Select the Search charm, and type Azure.
In the results, click Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell.

Step 3: Connect to your Office 365 subscription

To connect with just an account name and password :

In the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell command window, run the following commands.
```
$UserCredential = Get-Credential
Connect-MsolService -Credential $UserCredential
```
In the Windows PowerShell Credential Request dialog box, type your Office 365 work or school account user name and password, and then click OK.

To connect with multi-factor authentication (MFA) :

In the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell command window, run the following command.
```
Connect-MsolService
```
In the Azure Active Directory PowerShell dialog box, type your Office 365 work or school account user name and password, and then click Sign in.
Follow the instructions in the Azure Active Directory PowerShell dialog box to provide additional authentication information, such as a verification code, and then click Sign in.

How do you know this worked?

If you don't receive any errors, you connected successfully. A quick test is to run an Office 365 cmdlet—for example, Get-MsolUser —and see the results.

If you receive errors, check the following requirements:

A common problem is an incorrect password. Run Step 3 again. and pay close attention to the user name and password you enter.
The Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell requires that the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. x feature is enabled on your computer. It's likely that your computer has a newer version installed (for example, 4 or 4.5. x), but backwards compatibility with older versions of the .NET Framework can be enabled or disabled. For more information, see the following topics:
- For Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2, see Enable .NET Framework 3.5 by using the Add Roles and Features Wizard
- For Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, see Installing the .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 8 or 8.1
- For Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, see You can't open the Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell
Your version of the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell might be out of date. To check, run the following command in Office 365 PowerShell or the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell:
```
(Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\MSOnline\Microsoft.Online.Administration.Automation.PSModule.dll).VersionInfo.FileVersion
```
If the version number returned is lower than the value 1.0.8070.2, uninstall the Microsoft Azure Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell and install the latest version from the link in Step 1.
If you receive a connection error, see this topic: "Connect-MsolService: Exception of type was thrown" error.

Connect with the Azure Active Directory V2 PowerShell module

For procedures that require the new cmdlets in the Azure Active Directory V2 PowerShell module, use these steps to install the module and connect to your Office 365 subscription:

Open an elevated Windows PowerShell command prompt (run Windows PowerShell as an administrator).
In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell command window, run this command:
```
Install-Module -Name AzureAD 
```

If prompted about installing a module from an untrusted repository, type Y and press ENTER.

When the installation of the new module is complete, use these commands to connect to your Office 365 subscription:
- With an account name and password :
```
$UserCredential = Get-Credential
Connect-AzureAD -Credential $UserCredential
```
In the Windows PowerShell Credential Request dialog box, type your Office 365 work or school account user name and password, and then click OK.
- With multi-factor authentication (MFA) :
```
Connect-AzureAD
```

In the Azure Active Directory PowerShell dialog box, type your Office 365 work or school account user name and password, and then click Sign in.

Follow the instructions in the Azure Active Directory PowerShell dialog box to provide additional authentication information, such as a verification code, and then click Sign in.

After connecting, you can use the new cmdlets for the Azure Active Directory V2 PowerShell module.