Microsoft 365 and Okta Login Behavior for Employees With Both Staff and Student Accounts

Microsoft 365 and Okta Login Behavior for Employees With Both Staff and Student Accounts

 

Summary

If you have both a staff and a student account, you may see sign-in issues when switching between ACC applications and student Microsoft 365. This is usually caused by using two different Okta identities in the same browser session.

Key point: A single browser session can be signed into only one Okta account at a time.

 

Who This Applies To

This article applies to employees who have both:

  • A staff account for ACC work (staff Okta sign-in)

  • A student account for student Microsoft 365 (student Okta sign-in)

 

How Sign-In Works at ACC

Staff access

Many ACC applications are authenticated through Okta and require a staff Okta login.

Student Microsoft 365 access

Student Microsoft 365 access requires authentication through a student Okta login.

 

Why This Causes Problems

Because of single sign-on behavior:

A single browser session cannot be signed into both staff Okta and student Okta at the same time.

If you try to use both in one browser session, you may see:

  • Being signed into the wrong account

  • Unexpected redirects during login

  • Access errors (Oops events) even though your account is valid

This behavior is expected and is not caused by a password issue.

 

Recommended Way to Use Both Accounts

If you need to use both staff apps and student Microsoft 365:

  • Treat staff and student access as separate sessions

  • Use separate browser windows, browser profiles, or private browsing when switching roles

  • Avoid switching between staff and student work in the same browser session

This keeps the staff and student Okta sessions from conflicting.

 

When to Contact Support

Contact support if:

  • You are unable to access the needed system after confirming you are using the correct account type (staff vs student)

  • The issue persists across separate browser sessions

Include in your request:

  • Which account type you are using (staff or student)

  • What you were trying to access (app name or Microsoft service)

  • What you observed during sign-in (error message or behavior)

512-223-8324 [TECH] or via ticket at https://acchelp.austincc.edu/TDClient/277/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=10718

 

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