How to Fix: “Account Error” Message in Microsoft Office

If you see an “Account Error” message when opening Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or another Microsoft Office application, the problem is usually related to saved sign-in data on the computer.

Office stores account and authentication information locally in Windows. If that saved data becomes outdated or corrupted, Office may fail to sign in correctly and show an account error instead.

In most cases, the issue can be fixed by removing the old cached account files and signing in again.

Before You Start #

Close all Office programs before continuing,if any Office documents are open, save your work first and then close them.

Step 1: Open File Explorer #

Open File Explorer using one of these methods:

• Press Windows + E on your keyboard
• Click the folder icon in the taskbar
• Open the Start menu and search for File Explorer

Step 2: Open Your Windows User Folder #

In File Explorer:

1. Click This PC.
2. Open the C: drive.
3. Open the Users folder.
4. Open the folder with your Windows username.

You can also go there directly by clicking the address bar at the top of File Explorer, typing the following, and pressing Enter:

C:\Users\

Then open the folder with your username.

Step 3: Show Hidden Folders #

The folder you need is sometimes hidden.

If you do not see the AppData folder:

1. Click View or Show at the top of File Explorer.
2. Select Hidden items.

The AppData folder should now become visible.

Step 4: Go to the Microsoft Folder #

Open the folders in this order:

AppData > Local > Microsoft

You should now be inside this folder:

C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Microsoft

Step 5: Delete the Office Account Cache #

Inside the Microsoft folder, look for a folder called:

IdentityCache

Right-click the folder and choose Delete.

This removes saved Office sign-in information that may be causing the account error.

Step 6: Clear the OneAuth Cache #

In the same Microsoft folder, look for a folder called:

OneAuth

Open the OneAuth folder and delete these two folders if they exist:

• Accounts
• Blobs

If one or both folders are missing, that is normal. Not every computer has the exact same folders.

Step 7: Restart the Computer #

After deleting the folders:

1. Close File Explorer.
2. Restart your computer.

This makes sure the old cached sign-in data is fully cleared.

Step 8: Open Office and Sign In Again #

After the computer has restarted, open Word, Excel, or another Office application.

Office should ask you to sign in again. Enter your Microsoft account details and complete the sign-in process.

The account error should now be gone, and your Office applications should work normally again.

Still Seeing the Error? #

If the account error still appears, try signing out of Office completely and then signing in again. You can do this by opening Word, going to File > Account, and choosing Sign out.

If the issue continues after that, there may be old Office licenses or incorrect account information still saved on the computer. In that case, you may also need to remove old Office license data before activating or signing in again (click here for instructions!).