OneDrive config confusion if multiple MSFT accounts

[AlvordSky (James D. Howard)]

A suggestion, if I may, regarding the "auto config" instructions or documentation when configuring Microsoft (MSFT) OneDrive using rclone config.

The documentation works fine if one has only one "identity" among MSFT-held accounts. I'd bet it is common for rclone users to have multiple, if their employer uses MSFT for multiple business services. I have more than one. When the auto config process reached the point of invoking its integrated browser for me to log in and authorize access to my OneDrive storage area, 2 accounts were listed, and the 1st one - the wrong one - got selected and configurastion proceeded without further user interaction! (This "wrong" one is set up for me by my alma mater with the same login identifier — my e-mail address — as my personal MSFT OneDrive storage area.) The wrong one proceeded to obtain an access_token and drive_id because I was already logged in, in another browser tab, to the alma mater account. I was able to recognize this because neither of the offered "2 drives found" looked like my storage area (or your instructions). One was "0: Organizational Logos …", another was "1: User Photos …"; made no sense.

To assure I could unambiguously choose the Personal login, I had to add a secondary login user name associated with the MSFT personal account login - one that was not listed with the alma mater account. (I used another valid e-mail address.)

I was then able to manually intervene and make sure the MSFT login screen chose my personal account (not the Business or Organization account) when obtaining MSFT permission, and returned an access_token (etc.) related to that account & then saw the expected "found 1 drives, …" listed as:
0: (personal) id=430……
Much better!

Would it be possible to add some kind of "Caution" or "Warning" in the documentation or instructions for using rclone config with OneDrive regarding this confusing situation?

[ncw (Nick Craig-Wood)]

@AlvordSky

When the auto config process reached the point of invoking its integrated browser for me to log in and authorize access to my OneDrive storage area, 2 accounts were listed, and the 1st one - the wrong one - got selected and configurastion proceeded without further user interaction!

Did you not get an option as to which microsoft account to choose here?

This is what I get - I can click on which identity I want to use

Unfortunately what happens here is out of rclone's hands as we are using the Microsoft auth flow.

Is that not what you see?

One way of removing this confusion is to close the auto opened window and go back to the terminal. There will be a URL in there and open that in an incognito browser window to make sure you get the correct account.

[AlvordSky (James D. Howard)]

Thanks for the following suggestion:

@ncw

One way of removing this confusion is to close the auto opened window and go back to the terminal. There will be a URL in there and open that in an incognito browser window to make sure you get the correct account.

As to why I did not get that dialog, I'm somewhat perplexed. Maybe it is because I had a different browser tab open (and logged in) to the "wrong" login (my e-mail provider uses MSFT on-line Office Outlook).?

[ncw (Nick Craig-Wood)]

@AlvordSky

As to why I did not get that dialog, I'm somewhat perplexed

Hmm, I don't know either. In recent times I've always had that dialog. However in the past (say 12 months ago) I didn't used to get it. I assumed Microsoft had fixed it so that you always got the dialog, but maybe it is for some other reason. Microsoft authentication is the most complicated of all the cloud providers so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some corner cases in there!