How do I sign into Teams on Desktop when I have already signed into Teams online

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How do I sign into Teams on Desktop when I have already signed into Teams online

Steve Gardiner 0

I am trying to sign into Teams on my desktop but it will not allow me to sign in. I have accessed Teams online so I know that the sign in details are correct. I have tried numerous times as I am trying to sync my OneDrive to Teams.

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Answer 1

Liora D 14,050 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Steve Gardiner,

Thank you for reaching out and for explaining the situation.

Since you can sign in to Teams on the web successfully, this confirms that your account credentials and license are working correctly. When the Teams desktop app does not allow sign‑in while the web version does, the issue is almost always related to local sign‑in data or cached credentials on the device, rather than your account itself.
To help move this forward, could you please let me know when you try to sign in to the Teams desktop app, do you see any specific error message or error code on the sign‑in screen? If so, please share the exact wording or code here.

In the meantime, you can also try these initial steps:

Step 1: Clear Teams cached

If Teams is still running, right-click the Teams icon on the taskbar, and then select Quit.

Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows logo key +R.

In the Run dialog box, enter the following path, and then select OK
%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams

Delete all files and folders in the directory > Restart Teams.

After restarting, open Teams and try signing in again.

Step 2: Remove stored Teams credentials from Windows

Open Control Panel > Go to Credential Manager > Select Windows Credentials

Remove any entries related to: Microsoft Teams, Office, msteams/adal/aad

User's image Restart the device and try signing in again

Step 3: Make sure Teams is fully up to date

While troubleshooting, you can continue using Teams on the web at https://teams.microsoft.com. This will still allow access to Teams and OneDrive files until the desktop sign‑in is resolved.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

I hope this information helps point you in the right direction. If you run into any issues while trying the steps, or if something still doesn’t feel quite right, please don’t hesitate to reach out again. I’ll do my best to support you however I can.

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details.

Warm regards,

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Steve Gardiner 0 Reputation points

2026-03-13T14:26:46.34+00:00

I apologise I should have mentioned it was for a Mac. Could you give me the instructions as above for a Mac please.
Liora D 14,050 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-13T14:38:35.3733333+00:00
Hello @Steve Gardiner,

Thank you for the clarification, no problem at all, and thanks for letting me know you’re using a Mac.

Please try the steps below on your Mac.

Step 1: Clear Teams local cache on macOS

If Teams is still running, right-click the Teams icon in the dock, and then select Quit or press Command (⌘)-Q.

In the Finder, open the /Applications/Utilities folder, and then double-click Terminal.

Enter the following commands, and press Return after each command:

rm -rf ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2

Restart Teams.

Step 2: Check macOS Keychain

Teams on macOS relies on Keychain Access for stored sign‑in credentials.

Open Keychain Access, In the search box, type: Microsoft or Teams

Delete entries related to:

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Office

ADAL / AAD / sign‑in tokens

Restart your Mac and try signing in again

Step 3: Test without VPN or security software (if applicable)

If you are using a VPN network filtering endpoint security software, please try temporarily disabling it and test the Teams desktop sign‑in again. These can affect desktop authentication while the web app continues to work.

I hope these steps help move things forward. Please don’t hesitate to reply with any updates or details, and I’ll be happy to assist further.

Kind regards,
Liora D 14,050 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-14T15:13:42.22+00:00

Hi @Steve Gardiner,

I just wanted to follow up to see how things are going with the information I shared above. I truly hope it was helpful and brought you closer to resolving the issue.

If you’ve had a chance to review it and have any updates, questions, or if you ran into any difficulties along the way, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m more than happy to assist further if needed.

It would be great to hear back from you!

Warm regards,

Liora.
Liora D 14,050 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-17T10:56:04.87+00:00

Hi @Steve Gardiner,

Just checking in one last time to see if you still need any assistance with this topic. I completely understand that things can get busy, so no worries at all if you haven’t had a chance to respond yet.

If the information shared earlier helped resolve your issue, feel free to click "Accept Answer" to help others with similar questions. Otherwise, I’m still here and happy to support you whenever you're ready.

If you have any other questions in the future, please don’t hesitate to create a new thread, other moderators and I are always happy to help. We truly hope you have a smooth experience with Microsoft products and wish you continued success in your work.

Best regards,

Liora.

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How do I sign into Teams on Desktop when I have already signed into Teams online

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