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How to Fix Azure Publisher Domain Verification JSON File Access Error

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an error preventing the Azure Portal from verifying a publisher domain for an app registration.

Product: Microsoft Azure
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to verify a publisher domain during Microsoft Entra app registration.
Observed behavior: The Azure Portal fails to verify the publisher domain because the Microsoft Entra app registration cannot retrieve the required microsoft-identity-association.json file from the .well-known path.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have administrative access to your domain's web hosting environment to verify server configurations and file permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Ensure Public HTTPS Accessibility for the JSON File

Verify that the JSON file is publicly accessible over the internet without any authentication barriers or strict firewall rules.

Microsoft Entra requires direct, unauthenticated access to the verification file to confirm domain ownership. Any redirects, IP restrictions, or invalid SSL certificates will block this process.

Check the exact file path

Ensure the file is hosted precisely at `https://yourdomain.com/.well-known/microsoft-identity-association.json`. The folder name must include the leading dot.

Verify HTTPS and SSL

Open a web browser in incognito mode and navigate to the file URL. Ensure it loads securely over HTTPS with a valid certificate.

Disable blocking rules

Check your web server configuration or Web Application Firewall (WAF) to ensure there are no IP restrictions blocking Azure's servers from accessing the file.

Confirm content type

Verify that your web server is delivering the file with the `application/json` HTTP content type header, and not as plain text or an HTML document.

Solution 2

Post on Microsoft Q&A for Complex Deployments

If standard configurations fail to resolve the issue, consult the Microsoft developer community for specialized assistance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my microsoft-identity-association.json file returning a 404 error?

A 404 error typically occurs if the `.well-known` folder is not created correctly at the root of your domain, or if your web server blocks folders starting with a dot (which are often treated as hidden directories).

Can I host the Azure publisher verification file over HTTP?

No. Microsoft Entra strictly requires the file to be accessible securely over HTTPS. Unencrypted HTTP requests will fail the verification process.

How do I fix a JSON syntax error in my verification file?

Ensure your file contains correctly formatted JSON without trailing commas, missing quotation marks, or invalid characters. You can use a free online JSON validator to check the syntax before uploading it to your server.

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