How can i fix "SIGN-IN NEEDED , you may not proceed without being singed into a profile"

Question

I've launched Forza Horizon 4 to have some fun and it keeps saying i cant play due to not being signed in when im signed into the same microsoft account , xbox, microsoft store and my main windows account. It had worked previously but i had to redownload windows and ever since it just hasnt worked.
Please someone send help im struggling.

Answer 1

Hello bombele k,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I see that the problem with your Forza Horizon 4 starts ever since you reinstall Windows. Before we proceed, may I know what happened when you press "OK" and if there are any other games with the same issue?

In the meantime, please try to follow these fixes to see if it helps.

• Clear credentials cache.
  1. Type "Credentials manager" in the search bar and press Enter.
  2. Find and clear any entries related to the Xbox apps, the game and the Microsoft Store.
  3. Restart your PC and try to log in again.
• Resync time.
  1. Go to Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
  2. Make sure "Set time automatically" and "Set time zone automatically" is set to Enabled.
  3. Click Sync Now to resync the clock.
  4. Restart the game and try again.

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Answer 2

Follow these steps in order to fix the sign‑in requirement for Forza Horizon 4 on Windows after reinstalling Windows:

1. Restart Windows completely
   Many sign‑in issues are caused by services being in a bad state. Restart the PC (preferably choose Update and restart if updates are pending) and try launching the game again.
2. Update Windows and Microsoft Store components
   • Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates and install all available updates.
   • Open Microsoft Store → See more (⋯) → Downloads and updates → Get updates to update Store and Xbox-related apps.
3. Ensure Gaming Services are up to date (critical for Game Pass / Store games)
   Gaming Services problems commonly cause sign‑in and launch issues.
   1. Launch PowerShell as Administrator.
   2. Run:
      get-appxpackage Microsoft.GamingServices | remove-AppxPackage -allusers
   3. In the same PowerShell window, run:
      start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9MWPM2CQNLHN
   4. Microsoft Store will open on Gaming Services. Install it (accept the UAC prompt).
   5. After install completes, restart the PC and try Forza Horizon 4 again.
4. Ensure the Xbox app is installed and updated
   If using the Xbox app / Game Pass:
   1. Make sure you are in the normal RETAIL environment (not any dev sandbox).
   2. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
      get-appxpackage Microsoft.XboxApp | remove-AppxPackage -allusers
   3. Then run:
      start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9mv0b5hzvk9z
   4. Install the Xbox app from the Store page and accept UAC prompts.
   5. Sign in to the Xbox app with the same Microsoft account used in the Store and Windows, then launch Forza Horizon 4 from there.
5. Check that Xbox services are not down
   If the problem persists, check the Xbox Status page to ensure there is no outage affecting sign‑in or profile services.

If after these steps the game still reports “sign‑in needed,” capture any specific error code shown and use it with the official troubleshooting steps for Xbox services sign‑in and sandboxes.

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References:

• Troubleshooting Sign-in and Sandbox Errors
• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Fix problems with apps from Microsoft Store