Power BI Error:
AADSTS90119, User code is null or empty in device code flow

What does this error mean?

The device code submitted during OAuth 2.0 device authorization flow is missing or empty when validated by Entra ID (Azure AD).

Common causes

• 1Client application sends an empty or null `device_code` parameter to the `/oauth2/v2.0/token` endpoint during device code flow
• 2Token polling logic starts before the `device_code` from `/devicecode` response has been stored
• 3Variable holding the device code is overwritten or cleared before the token request is built (common in retry loops)
• 4Wrong grant_type used — `urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:device_code` requires `device_code`, but client sends form fields for a different flow
• 5Custom Power BI / Fabric / ADF connector or PowerShell script using device code authentication has a bug in its request serialization

How to fix it

1. 1Inspect the HTTP request body sent to `https://login.microsoftonline.com/{tenant}/oauth2/v2.0/token` and confirm `device_code=<non-empty value>` is present and URL-encoded
2. 2Verify your client first calls `/devicecode` and stores the returned `device_code` (not `user_code`, which is shown to the user) before polling `/token`
3. 3Confirm `grant_type=urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:device_code` is set — wrong grant_type can make Entra ID look for a device_code that wasn't sent
4. 4If using MSAL (Python/.NET/JS), upgrade to the latest version and use `acquire_token_by_device_flow()` rather than building requests manually
5. 5For Power BI Desktop / gateway sign-ins, clear cached credentials (File → Options → Data source settings → Clear permissions) and re-authenticate to force a fresh device code exchange

Frequently asked questions

Other authentication errors