Do Microsoft tracking scripts require cookie consent?

Yes. Microsoft deploys two distinct non-essential tools: Clarity (session recording, analytics) and the UET Tag with Bing remarketing pixel (marketing). Both require consent under GDPR and ePrivacy. Clarity requires analytics consent; UET and the Bing remarketing pixel require marketing consent. Neither may fire before the user opts in.

What cookies do Microsoft Clarity and the UET Tag set?

Clarity sets _clck (first-party, 1 year) and _clsk (24 hours) for session recording, plus MUID (1 year) via c.clarity.ms. The UET Tag sets _uetsid (24 hours), _uetvid (1 year), and MUID (1 year). Clarity loads from www.clarity.ms; UET loads from bat.bing.com. Both share the MUID cross-property Microsoft identifier.

How does ConsentStack manage Microsoft Clarity and UET consent?

ConsentStack classifies Microsoft as analytics (Clarity) and marketing (UET, Bing remarketing). Clarity is blocked until analytics consent is granted; UET and the remarketing pixel are blocked until marketing consent is granted. ConsentStack manages both independently, so users can accept analytics without accepting advertising tracking.

What tracker domains does Microsoft use?

ConsentStack has catalogued tracker domains for Microsoft including adnxs.com, windows.net and azurefd.net, among 268 in total. These are the network destinations Microsoft's scripts contact, which a consent platform blocks until a visitor agrees.

What cookies does Microsoft set?

Microsoft sets cookies such as _clck, _clsk, _uetsid and _uetvid. ConsentStack identifies these and classifies them so they can be blocked or allowed based on the visitor's consent choice.

Microsoft - Clarity & UET Ad Tracking Consent Guide

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Overview

Microsoft deploys several distinct tracking and analytics tools on third-party websites: Microsoft Clarity (session recording and heatmaps), the Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag for Microsoft Advertising conversion tracking, and the Bing Ads remarketing pixel. Each serves a different purpose but all fall under non-essential data collection requiring consent.

What This Script Does

Microsoft Clarity Clarity injects a recording script loaded from www.clarity.ms. It captures:

Full mouse movement paths and click coordinates on every page
Scroll depth and scroll velocity
Rage clicks (rapid repeated clicking), dead clicks (clicking unlinked elements), and quick backs (immediate back navigation)
Page content through DOM snapshots reconstructed into visual session replays in the Clarity dashboard
Session metadata: session duration, pages visited, entry and exit pages
Device type, browser, OS, viewport size, and language

Clarity sets the following cookies:

_clck (first-party, 1 year) — unique visitor ID hashed with site ID
_clsk (first-party, 24 hours) — session grouping identifier for clustering page views into sessions
MR (third-party via c.clarity.ms, 1 week) — Microsoft-wide user identifier
MUID (third-party via c.clarity.ms, 1 year) — Microsoft User ID used across Microsoft properties and Bing Ads

Clarity also uses localStorage for session identifiers. Session recordings and heatmap data are transmitted to www.clarity.ms and stored in Microsoft Azure.

UET (Universal Event Tracking) Tag The UET tag loads from bat.bing.com and fires conversion events when users complete actions on advertiser sites. It sets:

_uetsid (first-party, 24 hours) — UET session identifier
_uetvid (first-party, 1 year) — UET visitor identifier for cross-session tracking
MR (third-party, 7 days) — Microsoft remarketing identifier
MUID (third-party, 1 year) — Microsoft User ID for cross-property audience membership

The UET tag contacts bat.bing.com for conversion event logging and bat.r.msn.com for remarketing pixel fires. It collects page URL, referrer, event type, conversion value, product identifiers, and browser metadata. This data feeds Microsoft Advertising campaign reporting and enables retargeting on Bing Search and the Microsoft Audience Network (MSN, Outlook.com, LinkedIn).

Bing Remarketing Pixel A subset of UET tag functionality focused on audience building. Fires a tracking request from bat.bing.com to record page visits and construct retargeting lists. Sets the same MUID and MR cookies as the UET tag.

Consent & Compliance

GDPR/ePrivacy: Clarity's session recording captures behavioral data that constitutes personal data under GDPR. The UET tag and remarketing pixel perform advertising profiling and cross-site tracking. All require explicit opt-in consent under GDPR Article 7. The ePrivacy Directive requires consent for all non-essential cookies including _clck, _clsk, MUID, _uetsid, and _uetvid.

CCPA/CPRA: The UET tag and remarketing pixel share behavioral and conversion data with Microsoft for advertising purposes, qualifying as selling or sharing personal information. Opt-out via Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals must be honored.

EU-US Data Transfers: Microsoft participates in the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (DPF). Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) serve as an additional transfer safeguard.

IAB TCF: UET and remarketing pixels map to IAB TCF Purposes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7.

Consent category: Analytics (Clarity) and Marketing (UET, Bing remarketing).

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. Both Microsoft Clarity and the UET/remarketing scripts are non-essential. Clarity must be gated behind analytics consent; UET and the Bing remarketing pixel must be gated behind marketing consent. Block all Microsoft tracking scripts until the user has granted the applicable consent category.

Is Microsoft GDPR compliant?

Microsoft typically loads marketing, functional and analytics trackers, which are not strictly necessary for your site to work. Under the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, non-essential cookies and trackers must stay blocked until a visitor gives clear opt-in consent. So Microsoft can be fully GDPR compliant, but only if your site holds its scripts until consent is granted and lets visitors decline just as easily. Compliance depends on how your site loads Microsoft, not on Microsoft itself.

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Products (12)

Bing Ads

Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) is the advertising platform for search campaigns on Bing, Yahoo, and partner networks. The Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag fires on advertiser sites to record conversions and build remarketing audiences. Data flows into the Microsoft Advertising dashboard for campaign reporting and bid optimization.

Microsoft Advertising UET Tag

Microsoft Advertising UET Tag is the Universal Event Tracking pixel for Microsoft's ad platform, formerly Bing Ads. The JavaScript tag fires on advertiser websites to track page views, conversions, and custom events for campaign optimization. Sets cookies to identify visitors across sessions and attribute conversions to Microsoft Search and Audience Network ad clicks.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Sets a meta tag or BingSiteAuth.xml file to confirm site ownership with Microsoft Bing. The verification asset collects no personal data; Bing then provides search performance, crawl error, and keyword analytics accessible only through authenticated Webmaster Tools dashboard sessions.

LinkedIn Insight Tag is a conversion tracking and audience analytics tool for LinkedIn advertising. Scripts set a first-party cookie and send page view and conversion events to LinkedIn's servers. Data supports campaign attribution, demographic reporting on site visitors, and LinkedIn retargeting audience creation.

Microsoft Azure AD

Microsoft Azure AD (now Microsoft Entra ID) is a cloud identity and access management service for single sign-on and user authentication on websites. Scripts load the Microsoft Authentication Library to handle OAuth flows, display login prompts, and manage access tokens. Stores authentication cookies and session tokens to maintain user login state across visits.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a suite of CRM and ERP applications that integrates with websites through tracking scripts and embedded forms. Web tracking code captures visitor behavior, page views, and form submissions to build customer profiles and score leads. Sets cookies to identify returning visitors and attribute marketing touchpoints across sessions.

Microsoft Power Apps

Microsoft Power Apps is a low-code application development platform that enables embedded business applications on websites. Scripts load custom app interfaces from Microsoft's cloud, render form controls and data views, and connect to backend data sources through Power Platform connectors. Sets session cookies to maintain application state and user authentication.

Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate is a workflow automation platform that connects to websites through embedded triggers and action widgets. Scripts load form interfaces, approval flows, and automated process components that interact with Microsoft's cloud services. Sets session cookies to authenticate users and maintain workflow state during multi-step automated processes.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a workplace communication and collaboration platform that can be embedded on websites for chat, meetings, and document sharing. Embedded widgets load from Microsoft's servers to enable real-time messaging, video calls, and file collaboration. Sets authentication and session cookies to verify participant identity and maintain connection state.

Microsoft Viva

Microsoft Viva is an employee experience platform that surfaces on websites through embedded engagement and learning modules. Scripts load content feeds and knowledge cards from Microsoft's cloud infrastructure. Sets authentication cookies for user identity and personalized workplace content delivery.

Power BI

Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence and data visualization platform. Its embedded scripts render interactive dashboards and reports within web pages, loading data visualizations through iframes or JavaScript APIs. Embedded reports may set authentication cookies and make requests to Microsoft's cloud services.

Xandr

Xandr scripts serve programmatic display and video ads by placing cookies, collecting audience data, and participating in real-time bidding auctions. Scripts match visitors against audience segments and transmit behavioral data to Microsoft's advertising marketplace for targeting and measurement.

Consent Categories

Analytics Marketing

Also Known As

Microsoft ClarityUET tagBing pixelMicrosoft AdvertisingClarity session recording

Industries

Computers Electronics and TechnologyProgramming and Developer Software

Tracked Domains (268)

Microsoft's trackers are very common, seen on about 19% of the sites ConsentStack has scanned. Scan your own site to see which of these are firing before consent.

adnxs.comMarketing

adnxs.com is a marketing domain operated by Microsoft, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on about 19% of scanned sites.

windows.netEssential

windows.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

azurefd.netEssential

azurefd.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

aspnetcdn.comEssential

aspnetcdn.com is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

microsoft.comMarketing

microsoft.com is a marketing domain operated by Microsoft, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

msecnd.netMarketing

msecnd.net is a marketing domain operated by Microsoft, used to serve ads, build audiences, and measure ad conversions. Seen on under 1% of scanned sites.

adsdkprod.azureedge.netEssential

adsdkprod.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

cdn-stamped-io.azureedge.netEssential

cdn-stamped-io.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

localist-images.azureedge.netEssential

localist-images.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

statewidewebalerts.azureedge.netEssential

statewidewebalerts.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

oc-cdn-ocprod.azureedge.netEssential

oc-cdn-ocprod.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

swymv3pro-01.azureedge.netEssential

swymv3pro-01.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

swymv3premium-01.azureedge.netEssential

swymv3premium-01.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

mktdplp102cdn.azureedge.netEssential

mktdplp102cdn.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

nuance.comFunctional

nuance.com is a functional domain operated by Microsoft, used to run site features like chat, video, embeds, and preferences. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

swymv3free-01.azureedge.netEssential

swymv3free-01.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

satcb.azureedge.netEssential

satcb.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

cxppusa1formui01cdnsa01-endpoint.azureedge.netEssential

cxppusa1formui01cdnsa01-endpoint.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

stickyaddtocartbar.azurewebsites.netEssential

stickyaddtocartbar.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

california.azureedge.netEssential

california.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

bl6prem.azureedge.netEssential

bl6prem.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

swymv3starter-01.azureedge.netEssential

swymv3starter-01.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

eastprodcdn.azureedge.netEssential

eastprodcdn.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

cxppusa1rdrect01sa02cdn-endpoint.azureedge.netEssential

cxppusa1rdrect01sa02cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

bingshoppingtool-t2app-prod.trafficmanager.netEssential

bingshoppingtool-t2app-prod.trafficmanager.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

sdtagging.azureedge.netEssential

sdtagging.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

lwjs.azureedge.netEssential

lwjs.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

oc-cdn-public-eur.azureedge.netEssential

oc-cdn-public-eur.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

rbav3-zentral-pro-id.azurewebsites.netEssential

rbav3-zentral-pro-id.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

westus-01.azurewebsites.netEssential

westus-01.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

freshatl.azurewebsites.netEssential

freshatl.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

adncdnend.azureedge.netEssential

adncdnend.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

brpdealermarketing.azureedge.netEssential

brpdealermarketing.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

openaiassets.azureedge.netEssential

openaiassets.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

prod-contxt-api-app-service.azurewebsites.netEssential

prod-contxt-api-app-service.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

assets-horizon-online.azurewebsites.netEssential

assets-horizon-online.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

prod-us-druid-hs-cdn.azureedge.netEssential

prod-us-druid-hs-cdn.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

eastus-01.azurewebsites.netEssential

eastus-01.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

uic-emergency-alert-banner.azurewebsites.netEssential

uic-emergency-alert-banner.azurewebsites.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

portal-assets.azureedge.netEssential

portal-assets.azureedge.net is an essential domain operated by Microsoft, used to keep the site working, including security, load balancing, and sessions. Seen on a small share of scanned sites.

+ 228 more tracked domains, shown by how common they are across scanned sites.

Cookies Microsoft Sets (12)

_clck

Clarity user identifier persisting across visits. One-year expiration.

_clsk

Clarity session identifier and recording cursor. One-day expiration.

_uetsid

UET tag session identifier set by the Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking script on the customer apex.

_uetvid

UET tag visitor identifier persisting across sessions. 13-month expiration.

MUID

Microsoft user identifier shared across Clarity and Microsoft Advertising. 13-month expiration.

CLID

Clarity client identifier set on first visit. One-year expiration.

MR

Microsoft refresh cookie indicating last refresh of MUID. One-week expiration.

SM

Clarity session mapping cookie used to sync identifiers across the customer apex and clarity.ms.

ANONCHK

Clarity verification cookie indicating whether the visitor accepted advertising cookies. 10-minute expiration.

_uetsid_

Per-tag UET session identifier when multiple UET tags are present, suffixed with the tag ID.

_uetvid_

Per-tag UET visitor identifier when multiple UET tags are present, suffixed with the tag ID.

_uetmsclkid

Microsoft click ID storage cookie when Clarity is integrated with Microsoft Advertising.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Vendors

Directus

Directus is an open-source headless CMS and data platform that serves structured content via APIs. Its backend delivers content to frontend applications through REST or GraphQL endpoints. Directus does not typically load tracking scripts in the browser, functioning primarily as a server-side content source.

Magnite

Supply-side platform formed by the merger of Rubicon Project and Telaria. Magnite connects publishers to programmatic ad buyers for display, video, and CTV inventory. The Magnite script participates in header bidding auctions and sets cookies to sync user identifiers with demand partners.

Adobe

Enterprise analytics and marketing automation platform best known for Adobe Analytics and Adobe Experience Cloud. Scripts collect granular behavioral data, manage audience segments, and power A/B testing and personalization workflows. Often deployed through Adobe Launch (tag management) which can load additional third-party tags.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is the world's most widely deployed web analytics platform. Scripts track page views, sessions, user demographics, traffic sources, and conversion events. Drops cookies to identify returning visitors and attribute user journeys across sessions.

comScore

Audience measurement company providing digital and cross-media audience analytics. comScore scripts fire on publisher pages to measure audience size, demographics, and content consumption. Data is used by publishers to demonstrate reach to advertisers and by agencies for media planning.

Google

Google is the dominant provider of web analytics, advertising, and infrastructure tools. Scripts like Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Ads, and reCAPTCHA collect behavioral data, manage tag firing, serve targeted ads, and detect bots. Sets persistent cookies to track users and correlate activity across sites.

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