Repeated sign-in prompt in Office apps on Windows 11

Pierre Ouimet 5 Reputation points
2025-09-08T02:34:18.19+00:00

Hello,

I am using Windows 11 with Microsoft 365. My Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) are activated and under File > Account they show that I am signed in with my email address.

However, every time I open an Office application, I still receive a Microsoft “Sign in” popup window. When I enter my email and click Next, the screen refreshes and returns me to the same window. If I click “Can’t access your account?”, it tells me “This username may be incorrect.”

Everything works if I close the popup, but the sign-in prompt keeps appearing every time I start Word, Excel, or other apps.

I have already tried uninstalling and reinstalling Office, signing out and back in, and clearing credentials in Windows Credential Manager, but the issue persists.

Could you please advise how to stop this sign-in prompt and ensure my account is recognized properly on Windows 11?

Thank you, Pierre

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows
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  1. April P 5,445 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-09-08T04:05:53.3333333+00:00

    Hi Pierre,

    This is April, I'll be happy to assist you. Sorry to hear that you're having issue with Microsoft 365 in Windows 11. Let me help you out.

    Based on the description you provided, you are experiencing repeated sign in prompt in Office apps on Windows 11, despite being signed in and activated. This is a known issue caused by a problem such as corrupted Office identity credentials, outdated authentication settings or issues with Web Account Manager and ADAL token storage. Since you've already attempted reinstalling Office and clearing credentials in Credential Manager, lets dive into more advanced solutions that have helped others resolve the persistent Office sign-in loop on Windows 11.

    1. Clear Cached Identity Data Sometimes Office holds onto corrupted identity tokens:
      • Open Registry Editor (regedit)
      • Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity
      • Delete the entire Identity key (Office will recreate it)
      • Restart your PC and launch Office again
    2. Reset OneDrive (if linked to your account) Issues with OneDrive authentication can impact Office apps:
      • Press Win + R, then run: %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
      • If that doesn't work, try: C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
      • After reset, relaunch OneDrive manually
    3. Delete Office Upload Center Cache Corrupted cache files can trigger sign-in prompts:
      • Search for Office Upload Center
      • Go to Settings > Click Delete cached files
      • Restart Office apps
    4. Review Device and Account Access Settings Conditional access or encryption settings might be interfering:
      • Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school
      • Remove and re-add your work or school account
      • If applicable, verify that your device is marked compliant in Microsoft Endpoint Manager
    5. Rebuild your Email Profile If Outlook is involved:
      • Open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles
      • Remove your current profile and create a new one
      • Reconfigure your account and test Office sign-in behavior
    6. Apply a Registry Fix for Modern Authentication If Modem Auth is not properly configured:
      • Open Registry Editor and navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity
      • Add a new DWORD (32 bit) value: EnableADAL = 1
      • Close Registry Editor and restart all Office applications
      Final Checks:
      • Ensure Office is full up to date
      • Confirm your Microsoft 365 license is valid and assigned correctly via Microsoft 365 Admin Center
      • Try signing in at office.com to confirm that your credentials work outside of the desktop environment

    Let me know the outcome. If the issue continues, please don’t hesitate to contact us again.

    We’re here to help, and we appreciate your continued trust in us.

    Warm Regards,

    April P.

    Independent Advisor

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  2. April P 5,445 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-09-09T05:27:09.8966667+00:00

    Hi Pierre,

    Thank you for your response. I would suggest contacting Windows Technical Support who can remotely help you with technical steps.

    First is to sign to Microsoft account and access this page: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact

    Make sure that you are login to Microsoft account in order to get a "Chat support"

    1. Enter your issue and click Get Help
    2. Click "Contact Support" that you will see on the lower part of the page
    3. Under "Products and Services", click "Select your product or service" and select the product you want to ask about. You can select "Windows"
    4. Under “Category”, click “Select your support category” and select the category you want to ask about. Select "Technical Support"
    5. Press Confirm
    6. Press Chat with a support agent in your web browser

    I hope this helps. If you need further assistance you can reply to this message.

    Thank you,

    April P.

    Independent Advisor

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