Installed Microsoft 365 Personal apps on Windows laptop. Apps do not recognise my e-mail address

Question

Installed Microsoft 365 Personal apps on Windows laptop. Apps do not recognise my e-mail address

Stan Sonnabend 20

Successfully installed a recently purchased version of Microsoft 365 Personal. When trying to sign in to Excel, Word etc for the first time, get the message "We couldn't find a work or school account with that address".

Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-12T16:38:58.6133333+00:00

I did not mention that the sign in issue occurred on the first screen that pops which says "Sign in to get started with Excel".
Eveline Gerard-Vincent 0 Reputation points

2026-02-12T17:25:20.73+00:00

how do I put word, excel and power point icons on my desktop?

Answer accepted by question author

GsN5034 - IA 76,465 Independent Advisor

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

May I please know if you have a work or school account linked to your device or to OneDrive?

Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.

If you see a work or school account added there, please unlink that account.

Next, if you have added your work or school account in the OneDrive desktop app, right-click the OneDrive Work or School icon on the taskbar, then select Settings > Account > Unlink this PC.

Once that is done, sign out of all Office applications and then sign back in.

If you are still experiencing issues, try activating Office from a new local (administrator) profile:

Press Windows + R, type netplwiz, and click OK.
Select Add > Sign in without a Microsoft account (not recommended) > Local account.
Create a username and password.
Select the new user you just created, click Properties, and on the Group Membership tab, select Administrator.
Sign out and sign in with the new local user profile.

Finally, open the Office apps and sign in with your personal Microsoft account.

Let me know if it worked.

Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-12T18:05:22.85+00:00

Hi. Thanks for the response. I did unlink the work accounts as I really thought that was the problem, but no luck. I do have a One Drive - Personal drive, so did not do anything in that regard. In trying to start Excel etc. it still does not recognize my personal e-mail account but recognizes my Work account, which I think is still the problem.
GsN5034 - IA 76,465 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-02-13T02:30:03.2366667+00:00

Hi,

Could you please check if you are able to activate them on the new local admin profile?
Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:54:35.0333333+00:00

Hi,

Creating a new user worked! Thanks. But now all my files etc are inaccessible on the new user account

1 additional answer

Your answer

Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-12T16:38:58.6133333+00:00

I did not mention that the sign in issue occurred on the first screen that pops which says "Sign in to get started with Excel".
Eveline Gerard-Vincent 0 Reputation points

2026-02-12T17:25:20.73+00:00

how do I put word, excel and power point icons on my desktop?
Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-12T18:05:22.85+00:00

Hi. Thanks for the response. I did unlink the work accounts as I really thought that was the problem, but no luck. I do have a One Drive - Personal drive, so did not do anything in that regard. In trying to start Excel etc. it still does not recognize my personal e-mail account but recognizes my Work account, which I think is still the problem.
GsN5034 - IA 76,465 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-02-13T02:30:03.2366667+00:00

Hi,

Could you please check if you are able to activate them on the new local admin profile?
Stan Sonnabend 20 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:54:35.0333333+00:00

Hi,

Creating a new user worked! Thanks. But now all my files etc are inaccessible on the new user account

Answer 1

If you're receiving the message "We couldn't find a work or school account with that address" when trying to sign in to Microsoft 365 apps like Excel and Word, it may be because you are using a personal Microsoft account instead of a work or school account. Here are some steps you can take to resolve this issue:

Sign out of Microsoft 365 and sign back in:

Open a Microsoft 365 app, such as Word.
Select your name and profile picture or icon at the top.
Select Sign out.
Select Sign in and ensure you are using your Microsoft 365 Personal account email.

Check your account type: Make sure that you are using a personal Microsoft account that is associated with your Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, not a work or school account.
Reset Microsoft 365 activation state: If the issue persists, you may need to reset the activation state for Microsoft 365 apps. This can be done by following the instructions provided in the Microsoft documentation.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking for updates or contacting Microsoft support for further assistance.