The full SSO troubleshooting reference — what to check, in what order, when SSO isn't working.
SSO connects three systems: your computer, your identity provider (Okta, Google, Microsoft 365, OneLogin, etc.), and Continu. When sign-in fails, the cause is usually on the user side (clock, cookies) or the identity provider side (missing fields, expired certificate). Continu itself rarely fails — but problems show up as Continu errors. This guide walks through the diagnostics in order of likelihood.
Start Here: Basic Troubleshooting
1. Confirm the URL. Your organization's Continu URL is typically yourcompany.continu.com. Make sure you're at the right one — companies sometimes have multiple instances after acquisitions.
2. Set your computer's clock to automatic. SSO depends on synchronized timestamps. A clock drift of even a few seconds can fail authentication.
3. Clear cookies for Continu and your identity provider. Stale session cookies cause loops and "stuck" sign-ins.
4. Try an incognito or private window. Confirms whether the issue is cached cookies.
5. Try a different browser. Confirms whether the issue is browser-specific.
SSO Stuck on Spinning Circle
You click Sign In with SSO, get redirected to your identity provider, sign in there successfully, and then the page hangs on a spinning loader.
Most likely: Identity provider is sending the auth response but Continu can't process it. Common cause: a required field is missing from the SAML or OIDC response (typically email or unique ID).
How to resolve: Capture browser console logs (see How To Find Console Logs) and send to your IT team or Continu support. The logs identify the specific missing field.
SSO Loop — Keeps Sending Me Back to Sign In
You sign in successfully at your identity provider but get redirected back to the Continu sign-in page repeatedly.
Most likely: Clock drift or cookie issue. Follow the Basic Troubleshooting steps above.
If those don't help: Your identity provider may be returning a session that Continu rejects. See Experiencing a loop when attempting to sign in with SSO.
"The identity provider is not providing the correct fields to Continu"
You see this specific error after signing in at your identity provider.
Most likely: Your IT team has configured the SSO connection but a required attribute (email, unique ID, or first/last name) isn't in the SAML or OIDC response.
How to resolve: Forward the error to your IT team along with a screenshot. They'll need to adjust the attribute mapping at the identity provider. See The identity provider error when logging in for the specific configuration steps.
"This account is no longer active"
Sign-in succeeds at the identity provider but Continu shows the account-inactive error.
Most likely: Your Continu account has been Suspended. See "This account is no longer active" Error.
SSO Worked Yesterday, Fails Today
If SSO was working and suddenly stopped — for one user or many — the most likely cause is a configuration change at the identity provider.
For one user: Their identity provider account may have changed (email update, group removal). Check with IT.
For many users at once: A certificate may have expired, an attribute may have been removed, or the connection may have been disabled. Contact your IT team to check the identity provider connection status.
What to Include in a Support Ticket
- The exact error message you see (or screenshot)
- Which sign-in method you use (SSO, Email, Employee ID)
- Whether other users in your org are affected, or just you
- Browser console logs from the moment the issue happened (see How To Find Console Logs)
- What you've already tried from this guide
See Also
- Signing In to Continu — the broader sign-in reference.
- The identity provider error when logging in
- Experiencing a loop when attempting to sign in with SSO
- "This account is no longer active" Error
Basic checks first: URL, clock, cookies, incognito, different browser. If those don't resolve it, capture console logs and identify which of the specific failure modes you're hitting.