Login Troubleshooting Guide

First, a note about the error message

For security, every failed sign-in shows the same general message, no matter the cause. The message will not tell you (or the user) what actually went wrong. That is expected. This guide gives you the detail the message leaves out, so you can find the real cause.

Step 1: Gather a few facts

Answering these first will point you to the right section:

Is it one user or everyone? If no one can sign in, the problem is usually account-wide (see "When no one can sign in"). If it is one person, keep going.
Does your company use SSO? If not, skip to "Email and password sign-in." If yes, also note which method the user is trying: the "Sign in with Microsoft" button, or email and password.

Quick reference

Symptom	Most likely cause	Fix
Password fails, password sign-in is allowed	Wrong password	Reset password
Signs in but cannot pass multi-factor	Lost or changed device	Admin resets their multi-factor setup
Brand-new user cannot sign in	Invitation not completed	Resend the invitation
Person has no way to sign in at all	Still a worker, or account deactivated	Set them up as a user, or reactivate
Password fails, user is required to use SSO	Enforcement blocks password sign-in	Have them use Microsoft, or exclude them
Microsoft sign-in fails for one user	Not assigned to the app in Entra	IT admin assigns them in Microsoft
Microsoft sign-in fails, user on unregistered domain	Domain not added to SSO	Register the domain, or exclude the user
Was working, now fully locked out	Microsoft account disabled, SmartBarrel deactivated them	Reactivate after Microsoft access is restored
Microsoft sign-in fails for everyone	Microsoft connection removed or disabled	SSO Admin reconnects

Checks for any sign-in problem

Start here regardless of whether you use SSO.

Does the person have an active account with dashboard access? Only users can sign in to the dashboard. Confirm the person has been set up as a user, not left as a worker, and that their account is active and not deactivated.
Have they finished setting up their account? New users must complete the invitation email before they can sign in. If they never opened it or the link expired, resend the invitation.
Are they signing in to the right place? Confirm they are using the correct SmartBarrel sign-in page and, if they belong to more than one company, choosing the right one after they sign in.

Email and password sign-in

This applies to companies without SSO, and to users who are allowed to use a password at companies that do use SSO (excluded users and SSO Admins).

Wrong password. If password sign-in is a valid method for this user and it fails, treat it as a normal password problem and have them reset their password.
Multi-factor problems. If they get past the password but cannot complete multi-factor (lost phone, no code), an admin can reset their multi-factor setup so they can enroll again.
They are actually required to use SSO. If your company enforces SSO and this user is not excluded, password sign-in is blocked by design and shows the general error. If they genuinely need to use a password (for example, a contractor or someone not on a company Microsoft account), exclude them from SSO on their Worker Profile. Excluded users can then sign in with email and password.

Microsoft (SSO) sign-in

Only relevant if your company uses SSO and the user is signing in with the "Sign in with Microsoft" button.

Are they assigned to the SmartBarrel app in Microsoft? Your IT admin controls this in Entra ("Assignment required" in Enterprise Applications). If the user is not assigned, Microsoft blocks them before they ever reach SmartBarrel. This is the single most common SSO cause. Have your IT admin confirm the user, or a group they belong to, is assigned.
Does their email use a registered domain? SSO recognizes users by their company email domain. If they are on a domain you have not registered, sign-in fails. Confirm their email domain is one you have added.
Was their Microsoft account recently disabled? If a user's Microsoft account is disabled, SmartBarrel deactivates their SmartBarrel account automatically. If Microsoft access was turned off and then back on, the SmartBarrel account does not reactivate on its own; an admin needs to reactivate them.
Do they belong to another company that enforces SSO? If a user has access to more than one company and any one of them requires SSO, they must use Microsoft sign-in everywhere, even for a company that does not require it. Have them sign in with Microsoft, or exclude them if appropriate.
Is this their first time? The first Microsoft sign-in shows a one-time screen linking their Microsoft account to SmartBarrel. If they cancelled it, they were not signed in and nothing was harmed. Have them click "Sign in with Microsoft" again and confirm on that screen.

When no one can sign in

If sign-in is failing for many users at once, look for an account-wide cause rather than an individual one:

The Microsoft connection was removed or disabled. If your company uses SSO and the SmartBarrel app was removed or disabled in Microsoft, Microsoft sign-in stops for everyone. An SSO Admin can sign in with a password and reconnect (see below).
A recent change to enforcement or domains. If SSO was just enforced, confirm the affected users are on registered domains and that anyone who needs a password is excluded.

If an SSO Admin is locked out

SSO Admins can always sign in with email and password, even when SSO is enforced. If SSO is blocking access, an SSO Admin signs in with a password and either turns off enforcement or reconnects the Microsoft app. This is why we recommend keeping at least two SSO Admins.

When to contact support

Reach out to SmartBarrel support if:

Every SSO Admin has lost access at the same time and no one can sign in with a password.
You have worked through the checks above and a user still cannot sign in.
A domain you are trying to register keeps getting rejected and you believe it should be allowed.

For setup and enforcement steps, see the Rollout Guide. For how SSO works overall, see the Microsoft SSO Overview.