Microsoft Consent Mode
Microsoft Advertising consent mode
Google is not the only provider with a consent requirement. Microsoft has demanded the same for ads and Clarity since May 2024 — and is regularly overlooked in implementations.
Microsoft Consent Mode at a glance
- In force
- Binding since May 2024
- Supervision
- Microsoft (contractual requirement)
- Penalty
- Restricted measurement and audience building
- Model
- A consent signal on the UET tag
What is Microsoft's consent mode?
Microsoft Advertising requires a consent signal for audiences in the European Economic Area before the Universal Event Tracking tag stores data. Without a signal it works in a restricted state: no identifiers, no audience building, only modelled measurements.
The same requirement covers Clarity, Microsoft's tool for session recordings and heatmaps. Because it is often added by the marketing team and does not run through Tag Manager, it slips through consent solutions particularly often.
Who needs it?
Microsoft Advertising in the EEA
Anyone running Bing ads needs the signal for conversion measurement and audiences.
Clarity for heatmaps and recordings
Session recordings are sensitive in data protection terms and must not run without consent.
LinkedIn campaigns using the Microsoft tag
The same consent logic applies here, because the data converges within the same group.
What exactly does Microsoft require?
A signal before storage
The tag has to know whether consent exists before it sets identifiers.
An update after the decision
If consent changes, the signal has to be updated.
Treating Clarity separately
Recordings may only start once agreement exists — a signal alone is not enough here, the script itself has to wait.
How does Aiara implement it?
Aiara serves Microsoft in parallel with Google rather than treating it as an afterthought.
The signal is set from the outset
As with Google, the initial state is set before the Microsoft tag starts — from the local cache, without waiting for the configuration.
Clarity is genuinely blocked
A signal is not enough for session recordings. Aiara holds the script back until consent exists.
The same decision for both groups
The banner categories feed Google and Microsoft signals simultaneously. You maintain one configuration, not two.
Included in the Pro plan
The Microsoft integration belongs to the Pro plan; Google Consent Mode is included in both.
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Consent Mode
Official sources
This page summarises the legal position in plain language and is no substitute for legal advice.