Solved: How to fix Microsoft 365 error “another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”

• The article provides solutions to fix the Microsoft 365 error “another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”.
• The error occurs when the user tries to activate Microsoft 365 apps with an account that is different from the one that is already signed in on the device.
• The user can try various methods to resolve the issue, such as signing out and signing in again, removing user account profile or connected services from Office app, editing the registry or credentials manager, clearing Office license activation data, enabling modern authentication, running the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant, etc.
• The article also provides screenshots and step-by-step instructions for each solution, as well as links to other resources for more information.

Problem Symptom

I recently experienced an issue while attempting to open documents in Microsoft Office applications on Windows. My Office applications are licensed under a Microsoft 365 license, and the documents I wanted to open were stored in OneDrive for Business. Upon trying to open the documents in the desktop application, an error message was displayed: “Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”.

The account was not found in the Connected Services section. When attempting to add OneDrive for Business to Connected Services section with the correct account, the same error was encountered.

This article will explain how to resolve the Microsoft 365 app error – “Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”. Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service that provides users with a range of productivity and collaboration tools, such as Word, Excel, OneDrive, etc. Recently, some users have encountered issues when attempting to use Microsoft 365 app. However, this article provides solutions to address this error.

When attempting to sign in to an Office 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016 application with Microsoft 365 user ID and password (or an Azure account), an error message may display: “Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer.”

The detailed error message is as below:

Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer.

Follow the below solution steps to resolve Microsoft 365 error “another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”.

Potential Causes

It has been determined that the issue arises when a user from the same organization (tenant) as the Microsoft 365 account is signed in on the computer or to an Office app (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.). Microsoft 365 only supports one session for users from the same organization. So it is expected that this behavior will arise if another account belonging to the same organization is already signed in to Office 2013 using a different Microsoft 365 user account.

Explain in another way, if you are attempting to log in to a Microsoft 365 account from the same organization as a Microsoft 365 account already signed in to Office on the same computer, this may result in an error.

This issue typically arises when an account has difficulty authenticating or has not logged into Office for an extended period of time. It can be resolved by reauthenticating, though it must be done in a specific manner.

Office 2013 applications allow users to access Microsoft 365 content stored on SharePoint Online using their Microsoft 365 user ID and password. For individuals with multiple Microsoft 365 user IDs from different organizations, they can access data from the SharePoint Online deployments of each organization.

Office 2013 supports a single Microsoft 365 user sign-in per session from each tenant or organization. Office 2013 attempts to prevent the sign-in of a second user from the same organization. Nevertheless, there may be occasions when this situation is not detected and the Office 2013 user interface may indicate that a second user has successfully signed in.

In this instance, the second user will not be able to access the content. All Microsoft 365 content that the second user attempts to open will be processed using the credentials of the first user.

It is important to note that Office 2013 adheres to all document and SharePoint Online library permissions. If a user does not have access to a document that another user has access to, and the second user attempts to open the document while they believe they are signed in, the document will not open as Office attempts to open the document using the first user’s credentials.

In order to resolve this issue, users who are signed in to Office 2013 should sign out and restart their computer. This will ensure that the system is in a clean state when the other user attempts to sign in. If restarting the computer fails to resolve the issue, , then adjusting the registry is the recommended solution.

How to Fix the Microsoft 365 Error “Another Account from Your Organization Is Already Signed In”?

Depending on the cause of the error, you can try one or more of the following solutions to fix it. Before you start, make sure that you have the correct Microsoft 365 account and password that you want to use to activate the apps. Also, make sure that you have a stable internet connection and that your device meets the system requirements for Microsoft 365.

Pre-check

Clear browser’s cache

It is possible that the login credentials stored in the browser cache have become corrupted. To resolve the issue, it is recommended to clear the cache and check if successful.

Update Windows

Step 1: Click on the Start.

Step 2: Type check for updates.

Step 3: Select the Check for updates from the search results.

Step 4: Click on the Check for updates button.

Step 5: Download and install available updates.

Step 6: Restart the Windows.

Step 7: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Update Microsoft 365

It is recommended that Microsoft 365 be configured to install updates automatically. To check for updates:

Step 1: Open an Office app, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

Step 2: Select File > Account option.

Step 3: Click on the Update Options button.

Step 4: Select the Update Now option.

Solution 1: Sign out of Microsoft Office app, restart, and then sign in back again

The simplest solution is to sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps on your device, restart your device, and then sign in again with the account that you want to use. This can refresh your Microsoft 365 activation and clear any temporary or cache files that may cause the error. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open an Office app, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

Step 2: In order to finish a previous user session, select File > Account option. Alternatively, click on your name or icon at the top right-hand corner of a Microsoft 365 app (Word, Excel) and select Switch Account option.

Step 3: On the Accounts screen, click the Sign out option.

Step 4: Close the Office product.

Step 5: Restart the Windows.

Step 6: Select the File > Account option.

Step 7: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account

Solution 2: Remove user account profile from Office app

If signing out and signing in again does not work, you may need to remove the user account profile from the Office app. This can delete the stored credentials and settings for the account that you do not want to use. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open an Office app, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

Step 2: In order to finish a previous user session, select File > Account option. Alternatively, click on your name or icon at the top right-hand corner of a Microsoft 365 app (Word, Excel) and select Switch Account option.

Step 3: On the Accounts screen, click the Sign out option.

Step 4: Locate the account that you want to remove, and then select the Sign out option.

Solution 3: Remove connected services from Office app user’s profile

Another way to remove the unwanted account from your device is to remove the connected services from the Office app user’s profile. Connected services are online services that you can link to your Microsoft 365 account, such as OneDrive, SharePoint, or Outlook. Removing the connected services can disconnect the account that you do not want to use from the Office app. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open an Office app, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

Step 2: Select the File > Account option.

Step 3: Click on the Remove all option to remove all the services for the existing account under Connected Services section.

Alternativelt, you can click on the Remove service button for each connected services.

Step 4: Perform the same steps for all the Microsoft Office apps (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, etc.).

Step 5: Restart the Windows.

Step 6: Select the File > Account option.

Step 7: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account.

Solution 4: Edit the registry to remove cached credentials

If the previous solutions do not work, you may need to edit the registry to remove the cached credentials for the account that you do not want to use. The registry is a database that stores configuration settings and options for Windows and other software. Editing the registry can delete the stored credentials and settings for the account that you do not want to use. However, editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems to your device, so make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Type regedit in the Search box on the taskbar.

Step 2: Select the Registry Editor in the App results, then select Yes if prompted by User Account Control.

Step 3: Locate and select the following registry folder:

For Office 2013:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Common\Identity\Identities

For Office 365, Office 2019, or Office 2016:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity\Identities

Step 4: Use the values of EmailAddress, FirstName, and LastName parameters to search for registry keys that store information about other users of your organization.

Step 5: To remove the profile data, select the registry key found under the Identities section and then select the Delete option.

Step 6: Select the File and then Exit Registry Editor.

Step 7: Restart the Windows for the changes to take effect.

Step 8: Select the File > Account option.

Step 9: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account.

Solution 5: Remove the cached credentials in Credentials Manager

Another place where the cached credentials for the account that you do not want to use may be stored is the Credentials Manager. The Credentials Manager is a tool that allows you to manage your passwords and credentials for various websites, apps, and networks. Removing the cached credentials in the Credentials Manager can delete the stored credentials and settings for the account that you do not want to use. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the Start > Windows System > Control Panel > Credential Manager. Or, you may like to use the Search field in the Control Panel to find the Credential Manager. Alternatively, you can start the Windows Credential Manager using the following command in the command prompt:

control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager

Step 2: Under the Windows Credentials tab, locate the account that you want to remove and then select the Remove option to remove saved Office and Microsoft accounts.

For Windows 7, this is listed under Generic Credentials section.

Step 3: Restart the Windows.

Step 4: Select the File > Account option.

Step 5: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account.

Solution 6: Clear Office license activation data in the default license token folder

Another possible cause of the error is that the Office license activation data on your device is corrupted or damaged. The Office license activation data is stored in the default license token folder, which is located at %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing. Clearing the Office license activation data in the default license token folder can delete the corrupted or damaged data and allow you to activate Microsoft 365 with the account that you want to use. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Backup the default license token path:

%localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Licensing

Step 2: Remove the content inside the folder.

Step 3: Restart the Windows.

Step 4: Select the File > Account option.

Step 5: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account.

Solution 7: Enable Modern Authentication

Another possible cause of the error is that the modern authentication feature is disabled on your device or on your Microsoft 365 tenant. Modern authentication is a security feature that uses OAuth 2.0 and Azure Active Directory to authenticate users and devices. Enabling modern authentication can improve the security and reliability of your Microsoft 365 activation and prevent the error from occurring. To enable modern authentication, you need to do two things: enable it on your device and enable it on your Microsoft 365 tenant. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1: Type regedit in the Search box on the taskbar.

Step 2: Select the Registry Editor in the App results, then select Yes if prompted by User Account Control.

Step 3: Set the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity
DWORD:EnableADAL
Value: 1

Step 4: Select the File and then Exit Registry Editor.

Step 5: Restart the Windows for the changes to take effect.

Step 6: Select the File > Account option.

Step 7: Select the Sign in option and use your credentials to sign back in. Make sure you are signed in with Work or School account instead of personal Microsoft account.

Solution 8: Fix me in Account Error box

Step 1: Open an Office app, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.

Step 2: Select File > Account option. Alternatively, click on your name or icon at the top right-hand corner of a Microsoft 365 app (Word, Excel).

Step 3: Select the correct user account in the Sign in menu.

Step 4: The Account Error box will display. Click on the Fix me button within the Account Error box.

Step 5: Enter the login details for the user account being used to access the document. Complete the two-factor authentication to login.

Step 6: Click on the Try again button in the yellow box showed in the Connected Services section to refresh the services and list them there.

Step 7: The document will now load successfully when selecting the Open in Desktop App link within the Office Online app.

Solution 9: Run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Office sign in issue troubleshooter

Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Office Sign-in Issue Troubleshooter is a powerful tool designed to resolve Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive, and other Office-related problems. It can help with Windows Activation, Updates, Upgrade, Office Installation, Activation, Uninstallation, Outlook email, folders, and more. We recommend running this tool to see if it can resolve Microsoft 365 error “another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer”.

Download Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Office Sign-in Issue Troubleshooter

Solution 10: Uninstall multiple Office version copies

If multiple versions of Office are installed on your device, this could be a potential cause of the Microsoft 365 apps activation error. We recommend uninstalling any additional versions of Office to see if this resolves the issue.

Solution 11: Verify Microsoft 365’s subscription status

Verify whether you have an active Office 365 subscription. If not, renew your subscription and try again. To do this, refer to the following steps:

Step 1: Close all Microsoft Office apps on your Windows device.

Step 2: Go to your Microsoft Account page.

Step 3: If asked to sign in, enter your Microsoft account credentials.

Step 4: Go to the Services & subscriptions.

Step 5: Check the Microsoft Office’s subscription status.

Solution 12: Disconnect work or school account

If a work or school account is connected to your system, it may result in an activation error. To address the issue, try to disconnect the work or school account and see if the error is resolved.

Step 1: From Start, select Settings (the gear icon) > Accounts > Access work or school. Alternatively, press the Windows + I key to open the Settings then navigate to Accounts > Access work or school.

Step 2: If the account you use to sign in to office.com is listed there, but it isn’t the account you use to sign into Windows, select it, and then click on the Disconnect button.

Step 3: Restart the Windows.

Step 4: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Solution 13: Initiates unenrollment from MDM service

Step 1: Click on the Windows button.

Step 2: Type cmd in the Search box.

Step 3: Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run as administrator option in the context menu.

Step 4: Enter the following command in the Command Prompt:

dsregcmd /debug /leave

Step 5: Restart the Windows.

Step 6: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Solution 14: Temporarily disable third-party antivirus software

It is possible that third-party antivirus software installed on your device may be causing an error with another account being signed in. To troubleshoot this issue, please disable the antivirus software first and see if the error persists. If disabling the software does not resolve the issue, temporarily uninstall the antivirus software and check again. Additionally, if you are using a VPN, please disable it as well.

Solution 15: Check user licenses are assigned

It is possible to assign or unassign licenses simultaneously for up to 20 users. The licenses page will display a list of all the products owned along with the number of licenses available for each. To verify whether user licenses have been assigned, refer to the following steps:

Step 1: Sign in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Step 2: Go to the Users > Active Users page.

Step 3: Select the row of the user that you want to assign a license.

Step 4: Click on the Licenses and Apps in the right pane.

Step 5: Expand the Licenses section.

Step 6: Check the boxes for the licenses that you want to assign.

Step 7: Click on the Save Changes option.

Note: If the license is already assigned, then uncheck it and select the Save Changes option. Check it again and select the Save Changes option again.

Solution 16: Remove BrokerPlugin Data

BrokerPlugin.exe is an AAD token broker plugin file used to access virtualized applications from various devices. Occasionally, its data may become corrupted, resulting in Microsoft 365 activation errors. It is possible that some antivirus, proxy, or firewall software could interfere with the Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy plug-in process.

To ensure this process runs smoothly, it is recommended to temporarily disable your antivirus software. Additionally, please contact your system administrator to determine if your connection is being blocked by a proxy or firewall. If this is the case, it is necessary to temporarily disable the proxy or firewall connection. If you are connecting through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), it is advised to temporarily disable your VPN as well.

If the process is not blocked, yet Microsoft 365 activation remains unsuccessful, the Broker plugin data should be deleted and then reinstalled. The following steps outline how to do this:

Step 1: Open File Explorer and paste the following location in the address bar:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\AC\TokenBroker\Accounts

Step 2: Press CTRL + A key to select all the files.

Step 3: Right-click in the selected files and select the Delete option from the context menu.

Step 4: Open File Explorer and paste the following location in the address bar:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\AC\TokenBroker\Accounts

Step 5: Press CTRL + A key to select all the files.

Step 6: Right-click in the selected files and select the Delete option from the context menu.

Step 7: Restart the Windows.

Step 8: Download and execute the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Office sign in issue troubleshooter.

Step 9: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Solution 17: Reset Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise activation state

Download and execute the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) to reset the Microsoft 365 activation state.

Solution 18: Add a new email account to Outlook

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Outlook.

Step 2: Select the File > Add Account option. If this is the first time to open the Microsoft Outlook, you’ll see a welcome screen.

Step 3: Enter your email address and click on the Connect button. If your screen looks different, enter your name, email address, and password, and then click on the Next button.

Step 4: If prompted, enter your password and click on the OK button.

Step 5: Click on the Finish button.

Step 6: When the Use this account everywhere on your device box prompted, check the Allow my organization to manage my device option. Click on the Yes button.

Step 7: Restart the Windows.

Step 8: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Note: Remove the second email account from Outlook afterward.

Solution 19: Enable the device in the Microsoft 365 admin center

If you are the Microsoft 365 admin, yo can can try the following steps to solve the problem.

Step 1: Sign in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

Step 2: Go to the Azure Active Directory Admin Center > Azure Active Directory > Devices page.

Step 3: Check the disabled device list for the device. If found, then select it, and choose the Enable option.

Solution 20: Create a new Windows user account in clean boot mode

If you are encountering the Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer error, it may be due to third-party applications installed on your device. To address this, you can perform a Clean Boot of your PC, which will restrict all third-party applications. To do this, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R key to open a Run box.

Step 2: Type msconfig and click the OK button to open the System Configuration window.

Step 3: In the General tab, click on the radio button beside Selective startup. Uncheck the Load startup items checkbox.

Step 4: Go to the Services Tab, then check on Hide All Microsoft services and click on Disable all button.

Step 5: Click the Apply button, and then click on the OK button. Choose Restart Later option.

Step 6: Press the Windows + R key to open a Run box.

Step 7: Type msconfig and click the OK button to open the System Configuration window.

Step 8: Choose Startup and select Open Task Manager.

Step 9: look at the last field called Startup Impact and disable all the ones with High Impact by right-clicking on it and choose Disable.

Step 10: Restart your Windows and it will startup in the clean boot mode.

Step 11: Click on the Start > Settings > Accounts option.

Step 12: Select the Family & other users option or Other users option.

Step 13: Click on the Add account option next to the Add other user.

Step 14: Select the I don’t have this person’s sign-in information link, click on the Next button.

Step 15: Select the Add a user without a Microsoft account link at the bottom of the Microsoft account dialog box, click on the Next button.

Step 16: Enter the user’s name underthe Who’s going to use this PC and type the password twice under the Make it secure section. Select three security questions and enter the answers for them under the In case you forget your password section. Click on the Next button to create a new local account.

Step 17: Click on the Start > Settings > Accounts option.

Step 18: Select the Family & other users option or Other users option.

Step 19: Select the account name with Local account label below the name.

Note: If you select an account that shows an email address or doesn’t say Local account, then you’re giving administrator permissions to a Microsoft account instead of local account.

Step 20: Click on the Change account type button.

Step 21: Select the Administrator option from the Account type drop-down list box and click on the OK button.

Step 22: Sign in to Windows with the new administrator account.

Step 23: Download and install Office.

Step 24: Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.

Note: In the event the error does not appear in a Clean Boot Mode, it may be necessary to sequentially enable individual processes to isolate the cause of the issue. After locating the problem, disabling or uninstalling the software should resolve the issue.

Solution 21: Execute online repair for Office 365

If the error is caused by a corrupted or damaged Microsoft 365 installation on your device, you may need to repair it. Repairing Microsoft 365 installation can fix any issues or errors that may affect the performance or functionality of the apps. To repair Microsoft 365 installation, follow these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows + I key to open the Settings.

Step 2: Click on the Apps > Apps & Features option.

Step 3: Scroll down to locate the office product you want to repair, select it and click on the Modify button.

Step 4: Click on the Online Repair option and follow the instructions on-screen to proceed for online repair operation.

Solution 22: Delete password entries using Keychain Access app for Mac app

Note: This resolution steps only applicable to resolve “Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer” error happen to the Office 2016 for Mac app.

To resolve this error, use the Keychain Access app to delete any password entries that include “Office”. To complete this process, refer to the following steps:

Step 1: Sign out of the first account that signed in and restart the macOS. If this solution does not resolve the issue, proceed to the next steps.

Step 2: Start the Keychain Access app.

Step 3: Type the Office in the Search field.

Step 4: There should be around two to six entries found. Delete all the entries that are found.

Step 5: Exit the Keychain Access app.

Step 6: Sign in to Office 2016 for Mac again.

Conlusion

If you are trying to sign in to a shared computer or if multiple users use the same computer, make sure that each person has their own Microsoft 365 account and signs out of the account when they’re done using it.

Sorry another account from your organization
Can’t sign into Office 365 desktop apps
Another account from your organization is already signed in MAC
Account switch detected Microsoft