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ONL_E_INVALID_AUTHENTICATION_TARGET
Within Windows Online ID and interactive account authentication ONL_E_INVALID_AUTHENTICATION_TARGET (0x80860001) reports that the requested Online ID authentication target is invalid or incorrectly configured. Treat it as the Online ID invalid authentication target condition and start with target service, policy or ticket name and application ID, not with the final dialog text.
Why this HRESULT is specific
The broker can return this HRESULT before a service ticket is issued. Keep the asynchronous operation, requested scopes or tickets, application identity, UI context and account remediation result together; a wrapper message such as “sign-in failed” discards the distinction.
The decisive question is whether the recorded evidence supports the reported condition that the requested Online ID authentication target is invalid or incorrectly configured. Keep evidence tied to the failing operation.
How to distinguish nearby failures
Nearby condition: Target configuration failure occurs before account password or consent state is evaluated. Hold target service, policy or ticket name and application ID constant while changing only the prerequisite described.
Evidence that can change the diagnosis
- Primary record: target service, policy or ticket name and application ID.
- Object correlation: keep the product, account, package, device, key, or API identity associated with target service, policy or ticket name and application ID beside the first timestamped result.
- Neighboring-state control: use a controlled comparison that tests whether target configuration failure occurs before account password or consent state is evaluated; this separates the named condition from a nearby status.
- Before/after result: retain the outcome before and after the corrective action “use the service target registered for the application and environment”; keep the same identifiers until the broker returns a fresh result.
Controlled troubleshooting sequence
- Locate the exact object: Use the primary record to identify the transaction or licensed object that actually returned this result.
- Preserve the first decision: Record the earliest event stating that the requested Online ID authentication target is invalid or incorrectly configured, together with the code, UTC time, and the same identity fields.
- Change one prerequisite: Use the service target registered for the application and environment; do not combine this with a store reset, key replacement, account removal, package reinstall, or unrelated repair.
- Repeat the user operation: Re-run the original operation and require that the broker returns a fresh result; if another HRESULT appears, diagnose it as a new boundary.
Evidence-preserving cautions
While investigating this result, do not collect passwords or tokens in diagnostic logs, and do not bypass broker UI with embedded credential forms. That shortcut can replace or invalidate that evidence before the original decision is understood.
Verification
The incident is resolved only when the broker returns a fresh result. Confirm the result by repeating the exact operation that produced this result; maintenance success alone is insufficient.
Technical references
- Microsoft Win32 metadata: winerror.h — status definition reference.
- Microsoft: Errors associated with Web Account Manager — owning service/API reference.
- Microsoft: OnlineIdAuthenticator class — diagnostic/remediation API reference.
- Microsoft: OnlineIdAuthenticator.AuthenticateUserAsync — lifecycle reference.
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