Purpose of Company Branding
Company branding allows an organization to provide a consistent and professional identity during user sign-in to Microsoft cloud services. When users access Microsoft 365, the Azure portal, or other applications integrated with Microsoft Entra ID, the sign-in experience can reflect the organization’s own logo, colors, and messaging.
This not only enhances trust but also helps users confirm they are on a legitimate company login page — an important security and usability benefit.
Example: Contoso Ltd. wants employees to see their official blue-and-white color scheme and logo when signing in to Microsoft 365. This reassures users that they are logging in to the correct portal and reduces phishing risk.
License Requirements
Custom branding is not available in the free tier. You must have one of the following licenses:
If the tenant has any of these, the Company Branding option appears under the Manage menu in the Microsoft Entra ID blade in the Azure portal.
How to Configure Company Branding
Branding Settings and Descriptions
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Language | Set automatically to your tenant’s default language. It cannot be changed for the default branding, but you can add language-specific variants if needed. |
| Sign-in page background image | Upload a .png or .jpg file (max 1920 × 1080 px, under 300 KB). The image is centered and scaled to fit the browser window. Avoid images with text near edges that might be cut off. |
| Banner logo | Upload a .png or .jpg logo that appears after the username is entered and on the My Apps portal. Use a transparent or neutral background for best results. |
| Username hint | Text (max 64 characters) shown when users forget their username — e.g., “Use your work email, such as user@contoso.com.” Avoid using this if guest users sign in, as it may cause confusion. |
| Sign-in page text and formatting | Up to 1,024 Unicode characters of text shown at the bottom of the page. Common uses include IT helpdesk contact info or a legal statement. |
Practical Example
Users now see Fabrikam’s branding during sign-in to Microsoft 365, Azure portal, and Entra apps — creating a unified corporate identity.
Key Takeaways