Outlook · Fix-itDraft

Outlook keeps asking for my password

Draft. Not published yet.

Outlook asks for your password, you enter it, and a minute later it asks again. This usually means Windows still has an old saved sign-in, often after a password change, a Microsoft 365 MFA prompt, or a work account policy update. The steps below are the ones I start with on Windows. They don’t change your actual Microsoft password. They just clear the stale copy Outlook keeps trying to use.

This is for the Outlook app on a Windows PC, Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com. If you only see the problem in a browser, skip to “If it still loops.” If this is a work or school account and your organization requires a compliant device or extra sign-in checks, you may need your admin after the local steps.

Before you start

  1. Confirm the password actually works. Open a browser and sign in at Office.com or Outlook on the web. If the password fails there, reset it first. The desktop app will keep failing until the real password works.
  2. Fully close Outlook. Look in the system tray and in Task Manager for Outlook. If it is still running, it can write the old sign-in right back after you delete it.
  3. Close other Office apps too (Word, Excel, Teams), so they don’t keep a stale sign-in in memory.

The fix (most of the time)

1. Open Credential Manager

Press the Windows key, type Credential Manager, and open it. Choose Windows Credentials.

2. Remove the old Outlook and Office sign-ins

Under Windows Credentials and Generic Credentials, look for entries that mention Outlook, Office, Microsoft 365, MicrosoftOffice, MS.Outlook, OneAuth, ADAL, login.microsoftonline.com, or your email address.

Open each matching entry and choose Remove.

You are only deleting the saved copy on this PC. The next time you open Word, Excel, or Outlook, those apps may ask you to sign in once. That is expected.

3. Open Outlook and sign in again

Open Outlook. When it asks, sign in with the password that already works on the web. If you are prompted for MFA (a code, authenticator app, or Windows Hello), finish that too, and stay signed in if you trust this device.

The loop should stop after this sign-in.

If it still loops

Do these in order. Stop when Outlook stays signed in.

Clear Office’s local sign-in cache

  1. Close Outlook and the other Office apps again. Confirm they are gone in Task Manager.
  2. Press Windows + R, paste %localappdata%\Microsoft, and press Enter.
  3. If you see folders named IdentityCache or OneAuth, delete those two folders. Windows will recreate them the next time you sign in. Don’t delete the whole Microsoft folder.
  4. Restart the PC, open Outlook, and sign in again.

Check for a work or school account stuck on the PC

On Windows, go to Settings → Accounts → Access work or school. If your work or school account is listed, select it, choose Disconnect, restart, then open Outlook and add the account again. Only do this if you are allowed to reconnect the account yourself. Some companies require you to stay connected; if disconnect is blocked, stop here and ask your admin.

Use the modern sign-in, not an old password box

Microsoft 365 accounts need the current sign-in window (the one that can also ask for MFA). If Outlook keeps showing a small, old-style username and password box that never accepts a good password, the app may be out of date or stuck in an older sign-in mode. In Outlook, go to File → Office Account (classic Outlook) and check for updates. If you use the newer Outlook app, open Settings and check for updates there.

Try Outlook on the web in the meantime

If you need your mail while you sort this out, use Outlook on the web. That tells you the account itself is fine and the problem is the app on this PC.

What not to do

  • Don’t keep retrying a password you just changed until the web sign-in works.
  • Don’t run a random “Outlook repair” or “PC cleaner” tool. Those often make a bigger mess than a stuck sign-in.
  • Don’t delete your Outlook profile as a first step. Rebuild a profile only if the steps above fail, and only after you know you can still reach the mailbox on the web.

If this is a work account and nothing works

Your company may be requiring a stronger sign-in, a managed device, or a new MFA enrollment. In that case the app is doing what it was told, and clearing local sign-ins won’t override the policy. Check with your IT admin, or if I’m the person who helps your office, reach out and we’ll look at it together.

Need hands-on help?

If these steps didn’t do it, I can connect remotely and sort it out. Support is after-hours, nationwide, with local help in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Details are on the Work with me page.