Excel is holding a different user name & I can't login

Question

Hello!

After logging into Microsoft 365, when we try to open Excel, it often is holding on the user name of the last person. There does not seem to be a way to get out of that screen so a new user can log in. This happens on at least 3 of our computers.

There is an arrow pointing left in front of the username (back?), but clicking it just makes the screen flash, the login screen disappears and then comes back up exactly the same way. Still the wrong user name.

The only other options are to enter a password, or "forgot password"

Can anyone help with this?

Thank you,

Mary

Answer 1

Dear @Mary Sarabia,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand you're having trouble logging into Excel with your Microsoft account. It seems the issue is related to the Windows Identity Broker (WAM) getting "stuck" on a specific user's credentials, even when you try to switch accounts. This typically happens when multiple users log into the same Windows profile and use different Microsoft 365 accounts, leaving the system to pull cached credentials for a previous user.

As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or delve into the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users.  

Please follow the steps below to clear your credentials cache and ensure a fresh login:

1. Please sign out your accounts from Office applications, then close all Office applications.   
2. Open File Explorer, paste the following path, and delete all files and folders. %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy   
3. In the Windows search bar, search for "Access Work or School".   
4. Check if you can see your school account in "Access Work or School".   

If you don't see it, please select Connect and add your business account.   

If you can see it, please select it and select Disconnect. After that, please click "Connect" and log into your account again to register the device.   

• Open the Control Panel on your PC.   
• Go to User Accounts > Credential Manager.   
• Under both Windows Credentials and Generic Credentials, look for any entries related to your Microsoft 365 business account and Office apps.   
• Select and remove those entries.   
• Restart your computer and try adding your account in Office again.  

Download OLicenseCleanup.vbs and run it. In this way, you can use this package to remove the license, clear the stored identities in the registry, and remove the credentials. You can follow this: Reset activation state for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise - Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn to reset activation state 

Restart your device.

Reopen Office apps and sign in with the correct account.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.    

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you. 

I look forward to your thoughts on this. 

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Answer 2

It sounds like you're encountering an issue where Excel is retaining the previous user's credentials, which can happen if another account is already signed in. Here are some steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Sign Out of the Current Account: If you can access the account settings in Excel, try signing out of the current account. You can usually find this option under the account settings or profile section.
2. Clear Cached Credentials: You may need to clear the cached credentials stored on the computer. Here’s how to do it:
   • Open the Control Panel and go to Credential Manager.
   • Under Windows Credentials, look for any entries related to Microsoft Office or Excel and remove them.
3. Use the Microsoft 365 Sign-in Troubleshooter: This tool can help diagnose and fix common sign-in issues. You can find it by searching for "Microsoft 365 sign-in troubleshooter" online.
4. Registry Edit (Advanced): If the above steps do not work, you may need to edit the registry. This should be done with caution:
   • Open the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\<version>\Common\Identity (replace <version> with your Office version, e.g., 16.0 for Office 2016).
   • Look for the SignedOutADUser key and delete it.
   • Restart your computer and try logging in again.
5. Reinstall Office: If none of the above solutions work, consider reinstalling Office to reset any configurations that might be causing the issue.

If the problem persists after trying these steps, you may want to reach out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

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References:

• "Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer" in Office 2013
• Microsoft 365 users aren't automatically signed into an Office app through Active Directory accounts after they sign out