File Explorer won’t load, it says account disconnected, but settings says the opposite

Question

Today, suddenly I can’t open File Explorer. It keeps trying but nothing loads. In the right corner it says account disconnected and tries to get me to sign into an account I no longer use. When I check settings it shows me signed into the correct account. This has not happened previously. I’m not sure where to begin to solve this.

Answer 1

Hello!

I just wanna make sure everything is good now? Please let me know if you still need assistance. I'm happy to help.

Thanks,

Tin

Answer 2

Greetings!

I'm Christine, I can see here that you're having a "Account Disconnected" message on your File Explorer. No worries, I'll be happy to assist you with this.

The "Account Disconnected" message means there's no Work or Office account signed in.

You can defintely remove that "Account Disconnected" message, please follow the steps below:

In File Explorer, please click the 3 dots or (…) and kindly select Options.

Under General Tab, you'll see Privacy option, under that please untick the "Show files from Office.com" and hit Apply then OK.

It should disable the "Account Disconnected" message on your File explorer.

Please let me know how it goes. I'm just here.

Thank you,

Christine L

Answer 3

Begin with the standard File Explorer troubleshooting for Windows 11, then move on to account cleanup if needed.

1. Check for and install Windows updates
   1. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update.
   2. Select Check for updates.
   3. Install all available updates and restart the PC.
2. Restart the device Even if there are no pending updates, restart the PC once to ensure everything is applied.
3. If still not working, reset the PC (last resort) If File Explorer still will not open after updates and restart, use the Windows recovery options to reset the PC. See Recovery options in Windows from the File Explorer troubleshooting article for detailed steps.
4. If the issue is tied to an old account/OneDrive The behavior described (Explorer hanging and showing account issues) can be caused by a stale or disconnected Microsoft/OneDrive profile. In similar cases, the resolution was to fully remove and then reconnect the profile that is causing the conflict:
   • Remove the old/unused Microsoft/OneDrive account from Settings > Accounts (for example, under Access work or school or Email & accounts) so Windows and File Explorer no longer try to use it.
   • Sign out of OneDrive and any Office apps that may still be using the old account, then sign back in with the correct account only.
   • If necessary, remove the problematic account profile completely and then sign back in with the correct account, as this has resolved similar sign‑in/account mismatch problems.

If File Explorer still does not work reliably after these steps, submit details through Feedback Hub so Microsoft can investigate.

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References:

• Fix File Explorer if it won't open or start
• Unable to sign into account - says I am not connected to Internet but I am - Microsoft Q&A
• Long wait when you first open File Explorer in Windows RT 8.1 or Windows 8.1
• Can't sign in to microsoft 365 desktop apps - Microsoft Q&A