Can't sign in to Office only on one device

Question

My laptop had an update a few days ago and since then I can't sign in to my school account on any office or onedrive desktop app. I can sign in just fine online and on other devices.
Whenever I try to sign in, right after entering my email adress it just tells me "something went wrong". I attached a screenshot of the error message.

I can't really contact the school IT support right now.
Could anyone who has been in the same situation please provide help as to what I can do to finally access my account on desktop ?

Answer 1

Dear @ELGAMAL Hugo,
Thank you for the detailed update and for testing with a new Windows user profile.

Since you’re able to sign in to Office desktop apps successfully from the new Windows profile, this confirms that your school account and Office apps are working correctly. The issue is limited to your original Windows user profile on this laptop.

This can happen after a Windows update when the local sign‑in components used by Office stop working correctly within a specific user profile. Reinstalling or updating Office does not resolve this because the issue is tied to the Windows profile itself.

Using the new Windows profile is the correct workaround. In some cases, a future Windows update may refresh or correct these sign‑in components, but there’s no guaranteed timeline for that.

To move your data to the new profile

You can copy your personal files from the old profile to the new one:

Sign in to the new Windows profile.

Open File Explorer and go to: C:\Users<old-username>

Copy your personal folders (Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures).

Paste them into the matching folders under: C:\Users<new-username>

Apps will need to be reinstalled, but Office sign‑in should continue to work normally in the new profile.

Answer 2

Dear @ELGAMAL Hugo, Welcome to Q&A forum. I understand that after a recent Windows update, you’re unable to sign in to your school account in Office and OneDrive desktop apps on one specific laptop, even though the same account works fine online and on your other devices. I can imagine how frustrating this is, especially when you need access on your computer.

Based on what you described, this issue is most likely related to the sign‑in components on that Windows device. Office desktop apps rely on Windows sign‑in services in the background. After a Windows update, those components can sometimes become out of sync or blocked, which can cause a generic “Something went wrong” message when signing in. Since your account works in a browser and on other devices, this does not appear to be an issue with your school account itself.

To better understand the situation, could you please help confirm a few details:

What version of Windows is installed on the affected laptop?

Do you have any third‑party antivirus, firewall, or security software installed on that device?

Are you signed in to Windows with the same school account, or with a local/personal Windows account?

• Do you see the same error if you try signing in after restarting the device?
• Are you using a personal laptop or one managed by your school?

Have you tried updating Office or restarting the device since the issue began?

• Have you tried signing in with a different user account on the same laptop?

I also noticed that you mentioned attaching a screenshot of the error message, but I don’t see the attachment on my end. If possible, could you please reattach the screenshot so I can review the exact message you’re seeing?

In the meantime, I recommend some steps below:

1/ Restart your laptop and try signing in again.

2/ Temporarily disable or uninstall any third-party antivirus or firewall software, then attempt to sign in.

3/ Make sure your Office apps are up to date:

Open any Office app (like Word), go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

4/ Try signing in from a new Windows user profile:

Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users > Add account.

Create a new local user account (you can skip adding a Microsoft account for now).

Sign out of your current account and sign in with the new one.

Open an Office app and try signing in with your school account.

If it works, this suggests the issue is specific to your original Windows profile.

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 truly appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or need further clarification, please feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Answer 3

On a single Windows device, this behavior is commonly caused by a problem with the local sign-in components for Microsoft 365 desktop apps (WAM plug-ins, profile data, or security software interference), especially after an update.

Try these steps on the affected laptop:

1. Check for security software interference
   If security software or obsolete WFP (Windows Filtering Platform) drivers are installed, they can break the sign-in components:
   1. Sign in to Windows with an administrator account on the laptop.
   2. Temporarily uninstall third‑party security software and any standalone/obsolete WFP drivers.
   3. Restart the device and try signing in to an Office desktop app again.
2. Verify the WAM plug-ins (sign-in components)
   Sign in with the affected user account on the laptop and run these PowerShell commands:

      Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin
      Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost
   

   • If either command returns nothing, or
   • If they exist but do not open correctly when run with:

          explorer.exe shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy!App
          explorer.exe shell:appsFolder\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy!App
     

   then reinstall them as in step 3.
3. Reinstall the WAM plug-ins
   Still signed in as the affected user, run PowerShell as administrator and execute:

      Add-AppxPackage -Register "$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
      Add-AppxPackage -Register "$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
   

   Then reboot and try signing in to Office/OneDrive again.
4. Check for profile roaming issues (if using roaming/VDI)
   If the school uses roaming profiles, folder redirection, VDI, or profile migration tools, ensure they are not roaming or copying any of the following from this laptop:
   • %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy
   • %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy
   • %localappdata%\Packages\<any app package>\AC\TokenBroker
   • %localappdata%\Microsoft\TokenBroker
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\IdentityCRL
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AAD
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WorkplaceJoin Roaming the work account’s device certificate (issued by “MS-Organization-Access”) is also not supported.
5. Update Office on the laptop
   Make sure the Microsoft 365 Apps on this laptop are updated to a version that includes recent sign-in fixes (for example, Office Version 2310 Current Channel or 2309 MEC, as referenced). After updating, retry the sign-in.
6. Temporary workaround
   Until the desktop sign-in issue is resolved, use:
   • Outlook Web Access (OWA) and Office web apps in a browser.
   • Mobile apps for email and documents.

If the problem persists after these steps, the device may need deeper investigation (for example, collecting Process Monitor traces and involving support), but the above are the primary client-side fixes for “Something went wrong [1001]” and related desktop sign-in failures on a single device.

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References:

• Can't sign in to Microsoft 365 desktop applications