How to fix common sync issues in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams It has become an irreplaceable tool for work teams, educational centers, and large organizations. Its integration with other services such as Outlook, Exchange, or learning platforms like Moodle or Canvas offers great advantages, although it can also cause several headaches when things don't work as they should.

One of the most common issues is related to synchronization: files not updating correctly, errors when creating meetings from the calendar, presence statuses that don't reflect reality, or even conflicts when integrating Teams with other platforms such as Dynamics 365. In this article, we'll go over all the most common synchronization errors in Microsoft Teams in detail and, more importantly, how you can resolve them step by step.

Sync errors in LMSs like Canvas and Moodle

One of the most common complaints among teachers and students is that Teams doesn't sync properly with educational platforms like Moodle or Canvas. If you've encountered this type of error, here are the main causes and solutions.

Synchronization issues with Canvas

If you see a sync error when accessing Microsoft Teams from CanvasThe first thing you should check is that you are logging in with the same email address associated with your Canvas course.

1. Open Microsoft Teams in a new tab.
2. Log out from the corresponding option.
3. Sign back in using the email linked to Canvas.

If the problem persists even after meeting this requirement, it may be due to a misconfiguration by the administrator:

• Search field assignment failedCanvas allows you to define how your users are linked to your Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AAD). If this mapping is incorrect, the synchronization will fail.
• The user's email does not exist in AADIf there isn't an active account in the Azure directory for that email, the system can't find anyone to match the user with. In this case, the administrator should contact Canvas Support.

Synchronization problems with Moodle

The scenario in Moodle is very similar. If files or courses are not syncing correctly with Teams, make sure you are using the email linked to your course in Moodle.

1. Access Teams in a new tab.
2. Close the current session.
3. Log in with your email synced with Moodle.

To resolve specific errors with Moodle, you can also check the following:

• Properly configure the Moodle plugin for Teams.
• Successfully register Teams LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) in Moodle.

Sync errors between Teams and Exchange Server

Microsoft Teams uses Exchange Server for several internal functions such as calendar, presence status or programming of meetings. When this integration fails, the symptoms are varied and can seriously affect the user experience..

Common problems and symptoms

• Failure to schedule meetings from Outlook using Teams: A message appears indicating that you do not have permission.
• Calendar without icon in Teams or displays “We were unable to retrieve the meeting details.”
• Presence status does not change to "In a meeting" or remains on "Out of office" even after the actual state has changed.

Recommended solutions

• • Run the Exchange connectivity test for Teams from the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer portal. This test will tell you if everything is configured correctly.
  • Check if Teams has permission to access Exchange Web Services (EWS). If not, Check the EwsApplicationAccessPolicy policy from PowerShell with the command:

Get-OrganizationConfig | Select-Object Ews*

• • If you notice that it is in mode EnforceAllowList, add the appropriate identifiers:

Set-OrganizationConfig -EwsApplicationAccessPolicy EnforceAllowList -EwsAllowList @{Add="*Teams/*"}

• Make sure the OAuth protocol is enabled, as Teams needs it to interact with locally hosted mailboxes.

Calendar and presence status issues in Teams

Errors associated with the calendar or user status are usually due to poor integration with Exchange. Some clear signs of desynchronization in this area are:

• The calendar does not appear.
• Presence status does not change based on calendar events.
• Meetings are not scheduled correctly from Outlook.

Key steps to solve it

• • Verify that the Teams calendar app is enabled in the user configuration policy within the Teams admin center.
  • Confirms that coexistence mode allows full use of Teams. It must be set to at least “Teams Collaboration and Meetings.”
  • Run the Teams presence connectivity test, a diagnostic tool that checks whether calendar events can influence a user's status in Teams.
  • Check if Exchange correctly returns the address of its EWS serviceThis can be done with the following command:

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://outlook.office365.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.json..."

Synchronization failure with Dynamics 365

Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams are designed to work together, but if everything isn't set up correctly, you may experience errors when sharing records or accessing documents from any Teams channel.

Common mistakes when using Teams with Dynamics 365

• The user does not have permissions to create SharePoint sites or document locations.
• Records cannot be pinned to channels..
• Blank screen appears when accessing from Teams.
• The Dynamics environment is not updated or is not compatible.

Recommendations to solve it

• Check that SharePoint is configured correctly. Teams uses the SharePoint infrastructure to manage documents.
• Verify that the user has all the necessary permissions in SharePoint Site and Document Location (create, read, modify…).
• Update both Teams and Dynamics 365 to their latest versionSome features require updated environments.
• Avoid blocking access from unmanaged devices if you use conditional access policies in SharePoint.
• Enable two-step authentication in Teams too if you already use it in Dynamics to avoid security conflicts.

Errors when Teams prevents access to Exchange Web Services (EWS)

One of the most complex blockages is when, due to a misconfigured security policy, Teams cannot connect to Exchange Web Services. This directly impacts meeting scheduling, calendar, or presence status.

How to tell if EWS is blocked and what to do

From PowerShell, you can verify this setting with:

Get-OrganizationConfig | Select-Object Ews*

• • If you see that EwsApplicationAccessPolicy is in EnforceAllowList, only explicitly listed apps can access it. Add Teams if it isn't already:

Set-OrganizationConfig -EwsApplicationAccessPolicy EnforceAllowList -EwsAllowList @{Add="*Teams/*"}

• • For individual users, uses:

Set-CASMailbox usuario@dominio.com -EwsApplicationAccessPolicy EnforceAllowList -EwsAllowList @{Add="*Teams/*"}

It is also crucial that the parameter EwsEnabled is True or blank. If False, it completely prevents access.

Additional sync errors in Teams

In addition to those already mentioned, other technical complications may arise, such as:

• Embedded applications not working properly (for example, PowerApps).
• Cross-authentication issues in iframes, which prevent pages from loading within Teams.
• Limitations on mobile devices: Some Teams features are not enabled on mobile.

These types of errors are often related to policies in Azure AD or new restrictions in Power security. AppsIt's a good idea to check for restrictions on group names or permissions for certain functions.

It's also important to review users' permissions after leaving a team, as they may still have access to documents from Dynamics 365 even if they no longer belong to the team.

The variety of sync errors in Microsoft Teams ranges from simple mismatches to advanced security and integration configurations. Most of these issues can be resolved once their causes are identified, so having in-depth knowledge can facilitate quick resolution and improve productivity in the environment. Microsoft 365.