If you’ve seen the message that Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information, don’t panic. It’s a standard permission prompt that appears when SharePoint or a connected app tries to access sensitive data like email, calendar, or files, or during the SharePoint Tenant to Tenant migration scenarios, where app permissions are reset.
Here you will get to know what it means, why it happens, and how to deal with it.
Explore:
What Does “Microsoft SharePoint Wants to Use Your Confidential Information” Mean?
This message typically appears when SharePoint is trying to access protected data via an app integration or authentication flow using Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
In technical terms, it’s related to OAuth 2.0 consent prompts. When you or an admin integrates SharePoint with services like:
- Microsoft Graph
- Outlook Calendar or Mail
- OneDrive
- Power Automate
- A third-party app
…it may request permissions that trigger this message. It is suggested to always backup SharePoint Online to local storage before allowing apps access to sensitive SharePoint data.
Real Example From My Workflow
I once created a Power Automate flow that retrieved data from SharePoint and sent it via Outlook email. The moment I tested the flow, I got Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information prompt.
Why Is This Information Considered “Confidential”?
Microsoft classifies data such as:
- Email content
- Calendar events
- Files in OneDrive or SharePoint
- User profiles and directory data
…as confidential. Therefore, when an app like SharePoint wants to access Outlook or Teams data, it must undergo a secure consent process.
What Microsoft Says About This
According to Microsoft’s official documentation:
End users and admins may receive permission prompts when an application attempts to access sensitive data on their behalf.
— Microsoft Learn: Configure app consent policies
I highly recommend reading that guide if you’re a Microsoft 365 admin.
Should You Allow SharePoint to Access It?
I asked myself the same question, and here’s what I concluded:
Allow It If:
- You trust the app or the flow you’re running
- You or your admin initiated the integration
- It’s part of Microsoft’s native services, like Teams and Outlook
- You understand what data is being accessed and why
Don’t Allow It If:
- You received the prompt unexpectedly
- You don’t recognise the app
- You’re on a shared/public device
- Your organisation has a strict data access policy
I read this Microsoft article explaining how user and admin consent work in Microsoft 365 apps.
Why Does Microsoft SharePoint Keep Asking for Keychain Access?
If you’re on a Mac and keep seeing the pop-up that Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information stored in Microsoft Identity [GUID] in your keychain, it’s a known macOS Keychain issue. I’ve personally dealt with it, and here’s how I stopped the constant prompts:
- Open Keychain Access: Finder > Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
- In the search bar, type: Microsoft Identity.
- Locate the item that matches something like:
Microsoft Identity [long string of letters/numbers] - Right-click it and choose Get Info.
- Click the Access Control tab.
- Either:
- Select Allow all applications to access this item
or - Click the “+” icon to manually add:
- /Applications/Microsoft OneDrive.app
- /Applications/Microsoft Teams.app
- /Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app
- Select Allow all applications to access this item
- Click Save Changes and enter your Mac password if prompted.
- Close and reopen SharePoint/OneDrive/Teams to confirm the fix.
- You can restart your Mac if the error is not resolved.
Once I followed these steps, the prompt stopped appearing every time I opened a Microsoft app.
How to Review & Control These Permissions
Here’s how I managed it:
- Open Microsoft Entra Admin Center
- Go to Enterprise Applications > User Settings. Check who can consent to app permissions. You can restrict user consent to only verified apps.
- Now, audit App Permissions by opening Enterprise Applications > [App Name] > Permissions
- Review which APIs it wants to access.
- Under the same app, you can revoke consent or adjust scopes.
If you use PowerShell to manage SharePoint permissions and run into authentication issues, check this guide on Connect-SPOService: Could Not Connect to SharePoint Online to troubleshoot connection errors.
Quick Recap through this infographic:
Author’s Verdict
Seeing a message like Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information can seem scary at first, I felt that too. But it’s often just a standard Microsoft 365 permission request.
People Also Ask
- Is it safe to allow SharePoint access to confidential information?
Yes, if the prompt comes from a trusted Microsoft 365 app or integration you initiated.
- Can I block Microsoft SharePoint from accessing my data?
Yes. You can deny the request when prompted or revoke access later through Microsoft Entra by removing app permissions under Enterprise Applications.
- Why does SharePoint request access to Microsoft Identity in Keychain?
It’s because SharePoint uses macOS Keychain to store authentication tokens. When a Microsoft app needs to authenticate again, it requests access to this keychain item.
- Does Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information prompt related to Microsoft Graph?
Often, yes. Many SharePoint integrations use the Microsoft Graph API to access calendars, user profiles, or mail, which triggers this consent prompt.
- What kind of data does SharePoint access when I allow the request?
Depending on the app or workflow, SharePoint access files, emails, calendar events, OneDrive content, or directory/user data, only with your consent.
- How do I know if a SharePoint access request is legitimate or a security risk?
Check the source app, review the permissions requested, and confirm it’s part of your organisation’s approved tools.