> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.northbeam.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Microsoft Ads Setup

> Set up your Microsoft account and connect Microsoft Ads so spend and revenue show up in Northbeam.

When you're done, Northbeam shows your Microsoft (Bing) Ads spend, impressions, visits, and attributed revenue on the same campaigns, ad groups, and ads.

<Info>
  **Before you start**, make sure you have:

  * Help from your **Microsoft Azure Active Directory administrator**
  * A **Global Administrator** login for the [Microsoft Entra admin center](https://entra.microsoft.com)
  * A **Business** Microsoft account (not a Personal account) for Microsoft Ads
</Info>

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="1. Complete the requirements" icon="list-check" href="#complete-the-account-requirements">
    Set up API access, user consent, and a business account.
  </Card>

  <Card title="2. Connect the account" icon="plug" href="#connect-your-microsoft-ads-account">
    Sync spend, impressions, and campaign structure from Microsoft Ads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="3. Confirm tracking" icon="circle-check" href="#confirm-tracking">
    Check that the connection is working.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Steps titleSize="h2">
  <Step title="Complete the account requirements">
    <span id="step-1-complete-requirements" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    <span id="requirement-1-verify-the-microsoft-advertising-api-service-for-your-azure-tenant" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    **Requirement 1: Verify the Microsoft Advertising API Service for your Azure tenant.** Ask your Microsoft Azure Active Directory administrator to make sure:

    * At least one admin user from your Azure AAD tenant is added and enabled for work accounts in the Microsoft Advertising web application.
    * The **Microsoft Advertising API Service** (App ID: `d42ffc93-c136-491d-b4fd-6f18168c68fd`) is active with **msads.manage** and **ads.manage** permissions.

    <span id="requirement-2-enable-user-consent-in-microsoft-entra" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    **Requirement 2: Enable user consent in Microsoft Entra.**

    1. Sign in to the [Microsoft Entra admin center](https://entra.microsoft.com) as a Global Administrator.
    2. Go to **Identity → Applications → Enterprise Applications → Consent and permissions → User consent settings**.
    3. Choose either **Allow user consent for apps from verified publishers, for selected permissions** or **Let Microsoft manage your consent**.

    <Frame caption="Either of the two highlighted options works">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/028846a4-image_11.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=9699a84259c4faa2a104b26800714e3d" alt="Microsoft Entra User consent settings with the two allowed options highlighted" style={{ maxWidth: "560px", maxHeight: "440px", width: "auto", height: "auto", margin: "0 auto" }} width="1688" height="887" data-path="images/readme/028846a4-image_11.png" />
    </Frame>

    <span id="requirement-3-confirm-business-microsoft-account" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    **Requirement 3: Confirm you have a Business Microsoft account.** Your account must be a **Business** account, not a Personal account.

    1. In the Microsoft Ads portal, go to **Settings > My Settings > Signed In With**.
    2. If it says Personal, follow the link there to switch to Business.

    **If you skip this step:** the connection can fail with Error 105 or Error 106 (see the next step).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your Microsoft Ads account">
    <span id="how-to-connect-your-ad-account" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    <span id="step-2-connect-your-microsoft-ad-account" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    1. Open [Connections](https://dashboard.northbeam.io/settings/connections). If you're still in onboarding, go to **Integrations** instead.
    2. Find **Microsoft Ads** and click **Connect**.
    3. Sign in with the **Business** Microsoft account from step 1.

    The connection pulls your current and historical campaigns, ad groups, and ads from the Microsoft Ads API, along with spend and impressions. Your dashboard then shows attributed revenue, transactions, and visits for them. Impressions also power the **Clicks + Modeled Views** attribution model.

    <Warning>
      **Seeing an error when you connect?**

      * **Error 105** is a permissions error. Third-party access needs to be enabled on your Microsoft account. See Requirement 1 above.
      * **Error 106** is an account type error. Connect with a Business Microsoft account, not a Personal one. See Requirement 3 above.
    </Warning>

    <Note>
      **Historical spend backfill:** Northbeam backfills spend and performance data for up to **180 days** before the date you connect your Microsoft Ads account. Older data isn't pulled automatically. If you need it, add it with a [Spend Sheet or Spend API](/docs/add-spend).
    </Note>

    <span id="1-do-i-need-specific-utm-parameters" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    **No UTM parameters needed.** Once your account is connected, Northbeam adds the tracking parameters to your Microsoft ads automatically. Don't add Northbeam parameters by hand. They can override the automatic ones and cause tracking issues. See the [Microsoft Ads FAQ](/docs/channels/microsoft/faq#1-do-i-need-specific-utm-parameters).

    **If you skip this step:** all Microsoft Ads performance is missing from Northbeam.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm tracking">
    * **Connection syncing:** follow [Checking platform connections](/docs/checking-api-connections) to confirm the account shows as connected and data is arriving.

    If a check fails, see [Troubleshooting Northbeam data](/docs/troubleshooting-tracking-issues).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<span id="5-suspect-a-tracking-issue" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

## Need help?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Microsoft Ads FAQ" icon="circle-question" href="/docs/channels/microsoft/faq">
    UTMs, backfill, extra accounts, and data discrepancies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting Northbeam data" icon="wrench" href="/docs/troubleshooting-tracking-issues">
    Start here if a check above fails.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
