5 Ways to Fix the “You Need to Authenticate to Microsoft Services” Minecraft Error

The “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error occurs for some Minecraft players when they try to join servers. A player’s Microsoft forum post said this about that error, “Whenever I to go join any server in Minecraft Bedrock Windows 10 edition, it shows ‘You need to authenticate to Microsoft services.’” Players can’t join servers and realms because of this issue, which can occur on PCs and consoles. This is how you can fix the “authenticate to Microsoft services” Minecraft error on a Windows PC.

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Restart Your PC

First, try closing Minecraft to do a simple restart of your PC. Doing this will reload and refresh your Minecraft game. Run Minecraft after restarting your PC and try joining a server again to see if the “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error persists. If it does, proceed to resolution two below.

The Restart option

Unblock Your Microsoft Account

The “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error can occur because of blocked MS accounts. Try signing into your MS account from the Microsoft website to see if it’s blocked. If it is, you’ll see a “Your account has been locked” message when signing in. In this case, you need to unblock your Microsoft account for Minecraft and everything else.

This Microsoft page explains how users can unblock an MS account. You’ll need to click Next on the account lock message to receive a verification code. Input the code you’ve received in a text message or email to unlock the account.

Sign Out and Back Into Your Account

Some Minecraft players have fixed the “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error by signing out and back into their MS accounts. I recommend combining this potential fix with resolution two by checking if your MS account is locked first. You can sign in and out via the settings in the Minecraft game app like this.

1. Start the Minecraft game.
2. Click Settings in Minecraft.
   
   

   The Settings button

3. Select the Account tab.
4. Next, select the Sign out of your Microsoft Account option.
   
   

   The Sign out of your Microsoft Account option

5. Select the Sign in for free option and input the required login credentials.
6. Finally, select Save to Microsoft Account to finish.

Set Automatic Time Settings

Any time/date dependencies on your PC can cause Minecraft server connection issues to arise. So, make sure the time is set automatically on your PC. This is how you can set automatic time settings in Windows.

1. Open the file finder box by using its Windows logo + S keyboard shortcut.
2. Type a date & time keyword into the search box.
3. Select Date & time settings in your search results.
4. If the Set time automatically option is off, click that setting to turn it on.
   
   

   The Set time automatically option setting

5. Turn on the Set time zone automatically option if you can.

Run the Bedrock Server File as an Administrator

Users running Minecraft Bedrock servers might be able to fix the “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error by setting the bedrock_server.exe to run as an administrator. Applying this potential fix will give the Bedrock server file elevated privileges. This you how you can set admin rights for the Bedrock Server file.

1. Activate the File Explorer window by clicking the pinned folder library taskbar icon.
2. Open the folder containing your bedrock_server.exe file.
3. Click bedrock_server.exe with the right button on your mouse to select Properties.
4. Select Run this program as an administrator within the Compatibility tab.
   
   

   The Run this program as an administrator option

5. Click on Apply and select OK to exit.

I hope one of those potential solutions fixes the “You need to authenticate Microsoft services” error on your Windows PC. Although I don’t promise guaranteed fixes for all, the resolutions above are among the most widely confirmed ways to resolve that gaming issue. You can contact the support service for Minecraft from this help center page if further potential fixes for this issue are needed.