If you’re seeing an “Account Error” message when opening a Microsoft Office application (like Word, Excel, Outlook or PowerPoint), don’t worry, this is a common issue that can usually be fixed in just a few minutes.
Option 1: Watch the step-by-step video
Prefer following along with a video? Click play above and follow the instructions.
Option 2: Follow the text instructions
Step 1: Close all Office applications
Make sure Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or any other Office programs are completely closed before starting.
Step 2: Open File Explorer
How to open File Explorer:
Press Windows + E
OR
Click the folder icon in the taskbar
OR
Click the Start menu and type File Explorer
Step 3: Go to your user folder
In File Explorer, click “This PC”
Open the C: drive
Open the Users folder
Open the folder with your username
Can’t find your username folder?
Click in the address bar (at the top of File Explorer) and type: C:\Users\
Then press Enter. From there, you should see your folder.
Step 4: Show hidden folders (if needed)
If you don’t see the AppData folder:
At the top of File Explorer, click the View tab
Click Show, then choose Hidden items
Now you should see the AppData folder.
Step 5: Delete cached Office account folders
Open the following folders in this order:
AppData → Local → Microsoft
In the Microsoft folder, find and right-click → Delete the folder called:
IdentityCache
In the same Microsoft folder, scroll down and open:
OneAuth
Inside OneAuth, delete both of these folders:
Accounts
Blobs
If you can’t find these folders, that’s okay—they may not exist on all systems.
Step 6: Restart your computer
Once you’ve deleted the folders, restart your PC.
Step 7: Open Office and sign in
Open Word or Excel again
You should be prompted to sign in
Enter your email and password
This time, the account error should be gone and your Office apps will work as expected.