How do I fix an "access denied" error message with my Outlook on Microsoft Office 365?

Question

Up until today, I have had no difficulty getting into my Outlook account as part of our Microsoft Office 365 account for which we pay the $129.95 annual subscription. This morning, however, I tried to open Outlook, and I get an "access denied" error message. I tried to sign in, and it wouldn't work. There is not way to get support from Microsoft directly, so maybe somebody can help me. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Michael Yancy

Please reply with:

• Whether you can sign in successfully at Outlook.com.
• Whether Microsoft 365 appears as active under Services & subscriptions.
• Whether the exact error says only Access denied or includes an error code.
• Whether the issue happens only in New Outlook or also in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 apps.

Please try these steps:

1) Check whether the account works on the web 

Sign in at Outlook.com and at your Microsoft account page.

2) Confirm the Microsoft 365 subscription account 

Sign in at Services & subscriptions and confirm that Microsoft 365 Personal or Family is active under the same Microsoft account you are using in Outlook.

3) Use Outlook.com as a temporary workaround 

If Outlook.com opens successfully in the browser, use it temporarily to access mail while troubleshooting New Outlook.

This also helps confirm that the mailbox itself is accessible and that the issue is likely with the Windows app sign-in or local app state.

4) Update Microsoft 365 and Windows 

Open any Office app, such as Word, then go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

5) Repair Microsoft 365 

On Windows 11, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify.

Try the repairs in this order:

• Run Quick Repair first.
• If the issue continues, run Online Repair.
• Restart the PC after the repair finishes, then open New Outlook again.

6) Repair the Outlook profile if classic Outlook is also affected 

If classic Outlook is installed and also affected, open classic Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Email > select the account > Repair, then restart Outlook.

7) Check whether the issue is only in New Outlook 

If classic Outlook or Outlook.com works but New Outlook still shows Access denied, remove the account from New Outlook and add it again.

If the same message returns, continue using Outlook.com or classic Outlook temporarily, then contact Microsoft support from the affected Microsoft account.

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

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