Microsoft Consent Mode
Microsoft Consent Mode is a privacy feature for Microsoft tags that adjusts how data is stored and sent based on a visitor’s consent. It applies to:
- Microsoft Advertising UET (Universal Event Tracking) — ads/conversion tracking
- Microsoft Invest/Curate/Monetize pixels — advertising stack pixels
- Microsoft Clarity — session analytics
With Consent Mode, tags change behavior according to specified consent signals. For UET, the key control is the ad_storage setting: granted (allow ad cookies) or denied (no ad cookies). For Clarity, the Consent API v2 uses ad_Storage and analytics_Storage to enable or restrict cookies and session tracking.
Why it matters
Microsoft Advertising requires consent signals for visits from the EEA, UK and Switzerland starting May 5, 2025; failing to provide them can impact measurement and remarketing. Microsoft Clarity announced enforcement of consent signal requirements for the same regions on October 31, 2025.
How it works
Consent signals & tag behavior – UET (Microsoft Advertising)
Control consent with the ad_storage parameter:
- granted → UET may read/write cookies for advertising and conversions.
- denied → UET does not read/write first-party ad cookies; third-party access remains restricted.
Set consent with default and update commands via window.uetq .
Clarity (Session analytics)
Use Consent API v2:
- ad_Storage and analytics_Storage (each: granted/denied).
When denied, Clarity runs in a no-consent mode without setting its cookies (_clck , _clsk ). When granted, it sets cookies and sessions persist across pages. Clarity can also honor Google Consent Mode signals if you use them.
Mapping to Cookie Compliance categories
Cookie Compliance lets you map your purpose categories (e.g., Ad Personalisation, Site Optimisation/Analytics) to Microsoft consent signals. When a visitor saves preferences, Cookie Compliance sends the appropriate grant/deny values to Microsoft tags automatically.
Cookie Compliance & Microsoft Consent Mode
Cookie Compliance integrates with Microsoft Consent Mode so you don’t need to hand-code most of this.
With Autoblocking enabled (recommended)
Cookie Compliance blocks non-essential third-party code by default for GDPR-style regions. When you enable Microsoft Consent Mode in your Cookie Compliance config, Cookie Compliance permits Microsoft scripts to load early only to receive consent signals, while it sets storage to denied until the user consents. After consent, Cookie Compliance updates signals and the tags adjust behavior accordingly. (See also our Google Consent Mode article for the same pattern.)
With Autoblocking disabled
Cookie Compliance does not pre-block non-essential scripts. If you don’t set a safe default, UET may assume ad_storage: granted . Always send a default denied before user choice, then update after consent.
FAQs
Is Microsoft Consent Mode mandatory?
Microsoft Advertising requires user consent signals for EEA/UK/CH traffic starting May 5, 2025 (missing signals affect measurement/remarketing). Microsoft Clarity will enforce consent signals from October 31, 2025.
Does Microsoft model conversions like Google’s “advanced” mode?
Microsoft’s approach focuses on basic consent signaling (ad_storage) and does not currently offer Google-style conversion modeling; expect reduced attribution without consent. (Industry analyses.)
Which tags are covered?
UET (Microsoft Advertising), Universal Pixel/Segment/Conversion pixels in Microsoft Invest/Curate/Monetize, and Clarity.