Fix: Microsoft SharePoint Wants to Use Your Confidential on Mac

Though most tech giants have become transparent about the data they collect and its extent, you may still become a bit suspicious when you get the alert Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information on Mac. 

What’s even worse is that the prompt keeps reappearing no matter what. So what exactly causes this error prompt and how do you get rid of it? Read on to find out!

Why Does Microsoft SharePoint Wants to Use Your Confidential Pop-Up Appears?

You get the Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information prompt when using the Office app on your Mac. But what exactly causes it to pop up?

For starters, the error mainly occurs due to moving the Office app package from its default location to a different one. It results in Microsoft failing to read the app package when required.

An error within the Keychain app is another reason for the prompt to appear. Keychain is an encrypted container for all your account name and password credentials. If it encounters an issue, it may cause Microsoft and probably other applications as well to request access.

The Office app cache can also get full or corrupt. When that happens, the program may malfunction or even crash. Strange errors are usually a sign of corrupted cache and data files.

Solution 1. Check Office Location

Starting with the most straightforward fix, check the location of your Office app if you continuously get the Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information alert on your Mac. Chances are that it has been moved to a new location.

By default, it is located in the Applications folder (accessible via Finder). If it’s not there, move the app folder back to its original location and choose Always Allow when the alert prompt pops up.

Many users were able to resolve this issue by following this step in Safe Mode. Here’s how to do it:

1. First, restart your Mac by clicking on the Apple menu and selecting Restart.

2. When it boots up, immediately press and hold the Shift key. Release only when the login screen appears.

3. Go ahead and login to your account and you’ll be in Safe Mode.
4. Now open SharePoint or any other Office app encountering the same issue and click Always Allow.
5. Restart your Mac once again to exit Safe Mode and boot up normally.

Solution 2. Force-Quit SharePoint Process From Activity Monitor

When you force-quit and relaunch a program, all its temporary data is erased, giving it a fresh start. So if that’s where the bug was hiding , it gets eliminated.

Below are the steps you must follow:

1. Press the Command key + Spacebar to access Spotlight Search.
2. Type activity monitor and launch it from the results.

3. Next, scroll through the list of processes in the CPU tab and select SharePoint.
4. Click on the x icon to close it.
5. In the pop-up box, select Force Quit.

6. Reboot your Mac afterward by clicking on the Apple menu and choosing Restart.
7. When your Mac boots up, launch SharePoint and check if the issue has disappeared.

Solution 3. Lock the Keychain Access

Restoring Keychain permissions for Office just might be able to resolve the stated issue. Here’s how to do it: 

1. To get started, quit all the Office applications on your Mac, if running.
2. Then, launch Finder from the dock.
3. Go to the Applications folder from the left pane.
4. Click to view the drop-down options for Utilities then double-click on Keychain Access to launch the app.

5. Next, go to the login tab under Default keychains.
6. In the menu bar, click on File and choose Lock Keychain login.

7. Now, launch any Office app. It should ask you for access permission for Keychain.
8. Enter your password to login to your Office account.
9. Then quit and relaunch it to check if the prompt appears.

Solution 4. Clear Microsoft App Cache

As mentioned earlier, corrupted cache is another reason for getting Microsoft SharePoint wants to use your confidential information alert on your Mac. For this reason, it is recommended to clear all cache related to SharePoint and other Microsoft apps.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Begin by quitting all the Office apps.
2. Then launch Finder from the dock.
3. Search for the Library folder and double-click on it to open it.
4. From there, go to the Application Support folder.

5. Next, go to the Microsoft folder.

6. Select the conflicting Office app and delete all the files in it.

Check after relaunching the app to see if the issue persists.

Solution 5. Clear OneDrive Cache

1. First, sign out of OneDrive and quit the application.
2. Then, launch Keychain Access by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
3. In the login tab, search for all OneDrive items and delete its cached credentials.
4. Next, launch Finder and press the Command key + Shift + G to access the Go to Folder dialog.
5. Enter ~/Library/Containers in the field and click on Go.

6. Finally, move all the com folders related to OneDrive to your desktop.
7. Afterward, uninstall OneDrive by dragging its app to Trash and reinstalling it from the official website.

Solution 6. Remove Keychains

1. Launch the Keychain Access app by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
2. Locate the following password entries in the login tab and delete them: Microsoft Office Identities Cache 2, Microsoft Office Identities Settings 2.

3. Also, search for and remove all ADAL entries in the application.

Solution 7. Empty Kind Entry Box

Emptying the Kind box in Keychain Access in order to delete all Microsoft instances should prevent the continuous pop-up from appearing on your screen every time you try to launch an Office app.

You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Launch Finder then go to the Applications tab.
2. Click to view the drop-down options for Utilities and double-click on Keychain Access to launch it.
3. When the window opens, click on the login tab on the left pane.

4. Double-click on all Microsoft Office items from the right pane and remove everything from the Kind box before hitting Save Changes.

Solution 8. Change Keychain Password

1. First, go to Finder and select the Applications folder.
2. Click on Utilities then choose Keychain Access to launch the app.
3. Go to the login tab from the left pane.
4. Then, click on Edit at the menu bar and choose Change Password for Keychain login.

5. Provide your current and new password in their respective fields.
6. Click on OK afterward.

Solution 9. Create a New User Account

Though not as convenient to create a new user just to be able to use the Office apps, this was the only solution that worked in some cases. 

You can try the same by following the steps below:

1. Click on the Apple menu and choose System Preferences.
2. When it launches, go to Users & Groups.

3. Click on the + icon to add an account.
4. Enter the necessary details then click on the Create User button.