onedrive is not connected

Question

OneDrive has stopped syncing and it is asking me to sign in again. Then it is asking me to re-enter my credentials; however, when I renter my credentials it states the email does not exist. When I try to create another email, it states the email is in use already. I have been locked out for two days and will lose my job.

Answer 1

Hi @aileen rabizadeh,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, and I'm sorry to hear that you're having trouble accessing your OneDrive.To better narrow down the cause of this issue, could you please clarify the following:

1. Is this a work or school Microsoft 365 account, or a personal Microsoft account?
2. Can you sign in successfully at https://onedrive.live.com using the same email address?
3. Do you see this same “email does not exist / already in use” message on all devices, or only on this one computer?
4. Are you able to sign in to other Microsoft 365 services (for example Outlook on the web or Teams) with this account?

These details will help determine whether the issue is related to account type, licensing, identity conflict, or device‑level authentication, and will allow me to guide you to the correct resolution path as quickly as possible.

 

Furthermore, to ensure we resolve this securely, I have initiated a private message for your convenience and left a note there. At your earliest availability, please review that message so I can assist you more affectively.

In the meantime, you can try the following steps to clear your credentials cache to ensure a clean reset

First please reset your OneDrive: Reset OneDrive - Microsoft Support

Then process to disconnect your account from your Windows

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.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.

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Note: Follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic.

Answer 2

Follow these steps in order, focusing first on recovering the Microsoft account, then fixing OneDrive sign‑in:

1. Verify whether the Microsoft account still exists

• Go to the Microsoft Account dashboard and try to sign in using the same email address and password that OneDrive is asking for.
• If sign‑in fails, use the Microsoft account sign‑in helper to check the username and reset the password if needed.
• If the system says the account does not exist when signing in, but says it is already in use when trying to create it, the account is likely locked or blocked, not deleted.

2. Handle possible account lockout or block

• If there have been many failed sign‑in attempts, the account may be temporarily locked.
• Do not keep retrying. Wait at least 24 hours without any sign‑in or recovery attempts, then try again from a familiar device and network.
• If the account was blocked due to suspicious activity, follow the unblock flow described in the Outlook/Microsoft account guidance (for example, using the “Unblock my Outlook.com account” and “Request for Account Reinstatement” flows referenced in the Q&A content).
• If recovery attempts (forms, codes) are rate‑limited, wait until the next day before trying again.

3. If verification codes are not working

• Try password reset and verification from a different browser or InPrivate/Incognito window.
• Clear browser cache or try a different browser.
• If using phone verification, try from a different network (e.g., mobile data instead of office Wi‑Fi) or another device.
• If all verification methods fail, complete the Microsoft account recovery form with as much accurate information as possible and wait for the automated decision. If the form is rejected, wait and resubmit the next day.

4. Once account access is restored, fix OneDrive sign‑in

• On Windows, select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area.
• If it shows as not connected or grayed out, select it and sign in with the recovered Microsoft account (same email address).
• If OneDrive still refuses to connect or shows account‑related errors:
  1. Unlink the PC from OneDrive:
     • OneDrive icon → Help & Settings → Settings → Account → Unlink this PC → Unlink account.
  2. Clear OneDrive sign‑in credentials:
     • Press Windows key + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings and select OK.
     • Delete PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
  3. Start OneDrive again (Windows key, type “OneDrive”) and sign in with the same account.
  4. When prompted that the OneDrive folder already exists, choose Use this folder so files re‑link without re‑downloading everything.

5. If OneDrive is a work or school account

• If the email is a work/school address and sign‑in fails, contact the organization’s IT admin immediately. The account may have been disabled, renamed, or migrated.
• IT can confirm whether the account still exists in Microsoft 365 and help reset the password or restore access.

6. If still unable to access the Microsoft account

• Public support channels (like Q&A) cannot directly unlock or restore accounts; recovery is automated.
• Continue using the official account recovery and unblock flows and avoid repeated attempts within the lockout window.
• If another Microsoft account is available, use it to contact Microsoft Support as described in the Q&A guidance and provide details so they can advise on next steps.

Once the Microsoft account sign‑in works in a browser, OneDrive on the PC should also accept the same credentials after unlinking and clearing cached settings as above.

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References:

• Can't sign in to OneDrive
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in OneDrive
• Unlink and re-link OneDrive
• Use OneDrive on Windows 10 devices (Xbox, HoloLens, Surface Hub, or tablets)
• Why can't I log in to my Outlook account? - Microsoft Q&A
• My Microsoft account is blocked. - Microsoft Q&A
• Locked out of my Outlook account and recovery options not working - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to speak with a real person and it seems impossible. - Microsoft Q&A