Outlook Keeps Asking for a Password or Will Not Sign In
Outlook Keeps Asking for a Password or Will Not Sign In
Repeated password prompts usually mean Outlook cannot complete authentication, your password changed, or your organization requires an additional verification step. Do not keep submitting passwords indefinitely, approve an unexpected MFA request, or give anyone your password or verification code.
1. Confirm the account and connection
- Open a browser and confirm that normal websites load.
- Go to Microsoft 365 and sign in with the same work or school email address used in Outlook.
- If browser sign-in succeeds, note whether Outlook shows Disconnected, Working Offline, or Trying to connect. In classic Outlook, select Send/Receive and make sure Work Offline is not enabled.
- If the browser also rejects your credentials, stop retrying. A locked account, expired password, or required security-information update needs to be resolved first.
Use only your organization's normal Microsoft sign-in page. Check the address before entering credentials; legitimate Microsoft work-account authentication normally redirects through login.microsoftonline.com or an organization-approved identity provider.
2. Complete the prompt correctly
If you recently changed your password, use the new password when Outlook asks you to sign in. In new Outlook, selecting the account may display a sign-in window; choose Continue and follow the prompts. Complete MFA only when you initiated the sign-in, and verify any number shown on both devices before approving it.
If Outlook asks repeatedly even though browser sign-in works:
- Close Outlook completely, reopen it, and try once more.
- Restart the computer to clear a stalled app or update session.
- Install available Outlook/Office and operating-system updates.
- Check whether another Microsoft 365 app, such as Word or Teams, is signed in with an old or different work account. Record what you see, but do not remove managed accounts or device registrations unless your IT team directs you.
- If this is a third-party mailbox, follow that provider's instructions. Some non-Microsoft providers require an app password, but a Microsoft 365 work account should not be “fixed” by inventing one or disabling MFA.
3. Reset a forgotten work password safely
If your organization enabled self-service password reset and you already registered security information, visit passwordreset.microsoftonline.com. Enter your work address, verify your identity with a method you previously registered, and create a new password. Another entry point is My Sign-ins security info, where Can't access your account? may be available.
After a successful reset, wait a few minutes, sign in through the browser first, then reopen Outlook and supply the new password when requested. Update the password on other mail devices to prevent repeated failures. Never approve a reset or MFA request you did not start.
4. Use Microsoft's supported diagnostic
Microsoft provides an authenticated Outlook account troubleshooter for Microsoft 365 business accounts. It can check profile, licensing, connection, and repeated-password problems without asking you to make registry changes. Use Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 for business and follow only the steps shown for your version.
Avoid deleting credentials, editing the registry, recreating profiles, or removing the work account from Windows as a first step. Those actions can remove saved settings or affect other managed applications.
When to contact support
Contact your IT help desk if self-service reset is unavailable, you have not registered verification methods, the account says it is locked or disabled, MFA methods are unavailable, or the prompt continues after browser sign-in and a restart. Microsoft consumer support cannot reset an organization's work or school password.
Provide: your email address, Outlook version (new, classic, web, Mac, or mobile), device and OS, exact error text, whether web sign-in works, when the issue started, and whether the password recently changed. Include a screenshot with passwords, codes, message contents, and personal data removed.