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How to Disable the Application Guide Pop-Up in Exchange Admin Center

Steve K Oct 12, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to disable the onboarding application guide pop-up in the Exchange admin center because it blocks automated bot scripts.

How to Disable the Application Guide Pop-Up in Exchange Admin Center

Product: Microsoft Exchange Admin Center
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Running automated browser scripts or bots to complete administrative tasks in the Exchange admin center.
Observed behavior: An initial application guide or onboarding pop-up appears upon login, blocking the UI and stopping the automated workflow from proceeding.

Before you start

Ensure you have your administrator credentials ready and can manually access the Exchange admin center in a standard browser window.

Solution 1Recommended

Acknowledge the Guide Manually

Since there is no permanent setting to disable the guide natively, you must manually clear it on the first login to prevent it from appearing in subsequent sessions.

Microsoft currently does not provide an administrative toggle to turn off the initial application guide globally. The most effective immediate solution is to acknowledge the prompt so the system registers it as viewed.

Log in manually

Open your web browser, navigate to the Exchange admin center, and sign in with the administrator credentials used by your bot.

Locate the pop-up

Wait for the dashboard to load and the application guide or onboarding pop-up to appear on the screen.

Dismiss the guide

Click on the 'Close' or 'Next' button to fully acknowledge the guide. In normal circumstances, this will prevent it from loading on future visits for this specific account.

Automation Tip: If your bot clears cookies or uses an incognito session every time it runs, the admin center will treat it as a first-time login. Configure your automation to retain cookies across sessions to prevent the guide from reappearing.

Solution 2

Update Automation Scripts to Handle Pop-ups

If maintaining a persistent session is not possible, modify your automation bot to anticipate and close the pop-up automatically.

Solution 3

Submit Feedback to Microsoft

Report the lack of a disable option to the Microsoft product team to request a permanent toggle for automated environments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use PowerShell to disable the Exchange admin center application guide?

Currently, there is no Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlet or backend setting available that allows administrators to permanently disable the graphical application guide or onboarding pop-up for the web portal.

Why does the guide keep reappearing every time my bot runs?

Bots often use headless modes, private browsing, or clear their cache after each run. Because the 'dismissed' status of the pop-up is stored in local browser cookies, starting a fresh session causes the Exchange Admin Center to treat the bot as a first-time visitor.

Will Microsoft add an option to turn off admin center notifications?

Feature additions depend on user demand. Microsoft actively monitors the Feedback Portal. If enough tenant administrators report that this pop-up breaks their automation, the product team may introduce a toggle in future updates.

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