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Office 365 Connectivity Problems

BusyCal on Mac allows you to add Microsoft Teams meetings to all your Office 365 events, which requires connecting to Microsoft's Graph interface. BusyCal also offers an Office 365 (Microsoft Graph) connection for full calendar and task management.

Common Connection Issues Explained​

If you're having trouble connecting BusyCal to your Office 365 account, it's typically due to one of these reasons:

1. Personal vs. Enterprise Account Type​

If you have a personal Microsoft account (outlook.com, hotmail.com, etc.):

  • Use the "Personal Outlook" account type when setting up in BusyCal, not "Office 365"
  • Personal accounts authenticate differently than enterprise accounts

If you have an enterprise account (provided by employer/company/university):

  • The most common issue is that admin consent is required (see below)

Office 365 enterprise installations have restrictive default settings that disallow third-party apps from connecting without explicit permission from your IT administrator. Even if other third-party apps work for you, it's because your admin has specifically approved those apps.

BusyCal uses Microsoft's official authentication library and is a Microsoft Verified Publisher under the company name Beehive Innovations (BusyMac is our domain name). The verified badge appears during authentication. All data remains private and secure, as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

Note for IT Administrators

BusyCal only uses standard Delegated Permissions. This means it only ever acts on behalf of the signed-in user and only accesses data the user already has permission to access. It does not use or require any "App-Only" (Application) permissions that would grant it blanket access to the entire organization's data. Admin consent is typically only required because your tenant restricts users from consenting to third-party applications themselves. You simply need to allow the app.

When setting up an Office 365 account (Exchange Web Services) with Microsoft Teams or using the newer Office 365 (Microsoft Graph) connection type, repeated authentication prompts may appear if your IT Administrator has not granted the required permissions in Microsoft Entra.

To avoid authentication issues, your IT administrator needs to grant Admin Consent via Microsoft Entra. Follow the steps below.

If you are an Entra Administrator, follow these steps to approve BusyCal for all users.

  1. Log into Microsoft Entra.
  2. Navigate to Identity > Applications > Consent and Permissions > Admin Consent Settings or go directly to: Admin Consent Settings
  3. Ensure that users can request admin consent for third-party apps like BusyCal.

Step 2: User Requests Admin Approval​

  1. Have the user connect their Microsoft 365 account in BusyCal.
  2. A prompt will appear requesting Admin Consent approval.
  1. In Microsoft Entra, go to: Identity > Enterprise Applications > Admin Consent Requests
  2. Locate the request for BusyCal in the list.
  3. Click on it and approve the requested permissions.

Step 4: Assign Users & Groups​

  1. In Microsoft Entra, go to Enterprise Applications > BusyCal > Overview.
  2. Click "1. Assign users and groups".
  3. Add the user(s) or group(s) who need access to the application.
  4. Save the settings.

Once completed, the user should now be able to connect BusyCal successfully.

If your organization prefers to proactively grant access without requiring users to submit requests, an Administrator can use the Admin Consent link.

Step 2: Review and Accept Permissions​

You will be prompted to grant the following Delegated Permissions to BusyCal:

  • Calendars.ReadWrite.Shared (Required for calendars you own and have been shared with you)
  • User.Read (Required for timezone and settings)
  • User.ReadBasic.All (Recommended for free/busy availability & email lookups)
  • Tasks.ReadWrite.Shared (Required for shared task lists)
  • People.Read (Required for attendee lookups)
  • MailboxSettings.Read (Required for mailbox settings/preferences)

Optional Permissions:

  • Group.Read.All (For looking up joined group calendars). This is used when you select Enable access to Group Calendars when adding your account.
Clarification

Unlike what the name might suggest, Calendars.ReadWrite.Shared is not an “all enterprise-wide calendars” permission by itself. It allows BusyCal to act as the signed-in user, and only access calendars the signed-in user already has access to (including shared/delegated calendars). It does not grant blanket access to every calendar in the tenant unless admins grant application (app-only) calendar permissions, or the user already has that access.

Source: Learn more about Microsoft Graph docs on shared/delegated calendars: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/outlook-get-shared-events-calendars

Step 3: Verify in Microsoft Entra​

  1. Once accepted, go to Microsoft Entra > Identity > Enterprise Applications.
  2. Search for BusyCal to confirm it has been added.
  3. Users can now successfully connect their accounts in BusyCal without further approval.

Why Some Third-Party Apps Work But Not BusyCal​

If other third-party apps successfully connect to your Office 365 account but BusyCal doesn't, it's because:

  1. Those apps have been specifically approved by your IT administrator
  2. Some apps may use less secure methods to connect that bypass Microsoft's permission requirements
  3. BusyCal follows Microsoft's best security practices and requires proper authorization

For the best security and future compatibility, we recommend working with your IT administrator to properly grant BusyCal access using the methods described above.

Setting up Microsoft Teams Integration​

Once admin consent has been granted:

  1. In BusyCal, go to Settings > Accounts
  2. Select your Office 365 account
  3. Check the Microsoft Teams option
  4. Close settings

Now when creating events, you'll see an option to add Teams meetings in the Info Panel.

Troubleshooting & Final Steps​

If BusyCal continues to prompt for authentication:

  • Microsoft Entra: Ensure admin consent has been granted under Enterprise Applications.
  • Try Reconnecting: Delete and re-add your account in BusyCal.

For Microsoft Teams Integration (if using Exchange Web Services):

  • Enable the Microsoft Teams checkbox in Settings > Accounts under your Office 365 account settings.
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