Microsoft 365 apps activation error "Another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer"

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Microsoft 365

When you try to activate Microsoft 365 apps, you receive the following error message even though no other account is in use:

Sorry, another account from your organization is already signed in on this computer

Note: This error is expected if you're already signed in by using another Microsoft 365 account from the same tenant.

If this error occurs when only one account is used, follow the steps that are appropriate for your device:

  • For Mac devices, follow these steps:

    1. Close all Microsoft 365 apps.

    2. Open Terminal, and then run the following command:

      defaults write com.microsoft.Word ResetOneAuthCreds -bool YES

    3. Open the Microsoft Word app and continue with the activation steps.

    4. If the issue persists, try the steps in Can't sign in to an Office 2016 for Mac app.

  • For Windows devices, follow these steps:

    1. Sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps, and then sign in again.

    2. If the issue still occurs, modify the OneAuth account store on the device:

      1. Navigate to the %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneAuth\accounts folder. You'll see one <GUID> file, or multiple files that have different GUIDs if there are multiple accounts.
      2. Open the files by using Notepad, examine the account_hints value, and identify the files that aren't associated with the account that you want to use to sign in.
      3. In each file that's identified in step b, locate the association_status entry, change the association status of com.microsoft.Office to disassociated, and then save the file. For example, change
        "association_status": "{\"com.microsoft.Office\":\"associated\",\"com.microsoft.Outlook\":\"associated\"}"
        to
        "association_status": "{\"com.microsoft.Office\":\"disassociated\",\"com.microsoft.Outlook\":\"associated\"}".
      4. Try to sign in again.

    3. If the issue persists, sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps, remove all folders in the following locations, and then sign in again:

      • %localappdata%/Microsoft/OneAuth
      • %localappdata%/Microsoft/IdentityCache

    4. If the issue persists, try the additional troubleshooting methods.

Additional troubleshooting methods

Note: Some of these troubleshooting methods can be performed only by a Microsoft 365 admin. If you aren't an admin, see How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?.

Update Windows
  1. From Start, type check for updates, and select Check for updates from the search results.
  2. Select Check for updates.
  3. Download and install available updates.
  4. Restart the device and try to activate Microsoft 365 again.
Update Microsoft 365

It is recommended that Microsoft 365 be configured to install updates automatically. To check for updates, open an Office app (such as Word), select File, and then select Account. Select Update options, and then select Update now.

Run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) Sign in troubleshooter

Run the SaRA Office sign in issue troubleshooter.

Reset Microsoft 365 activation state

Run Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant to reset the Microsoft 365 activation state.

For manual steps or more information, see Reset Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise activation state.

Disconnect Work or School credentials
  1. From Start, select Settings (the gear icon) > Accounts > Access work or school.
  2. If the account you use to sign in to office.com is listed there, but it isn't the account you use to sign in to Windows, select it, and then select Disconnect.
  3. Restart the device and try to activate Microsoft 365 again.
Make sure user licenses are assigned
  1. In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, go to the Users > Active users page.
  2. Select the row of the user that you want to assign a license to.
  3. In the right pane, select Licenses and Apps.
  4. Expand the Licenses section, select the boxes for the licenses that you want to assign, then select Save changes.
  5. If the license is already assigned, uncheck it, select Save changes, then check it again and select Save changes again.
Check BrokerPlugin process

Some antivirus, proxy, or firewall software might block the following plug-in process:

Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy

Temporarily disable your antivirus software. Contact your system administrator to find out if you are behind a proxy or firewall that is blocking this process. If so, you will also need to temporarily disable your proxy or firewall connection. If you connect through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), you might need to temporarily disable your VPN also.

If the process isn't blocked, but you still can't activate Microsoft 365, delete your BrokerPlugin data and then reinstall it using the following steps:

  1. Open File Explorer, and put the following location in the address bar: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\AC\TokenBroker\Accounts
  2. Press CTRL + A to select all.
  3. Right-click in the selected files and choose Delete.
  4. Put the following location in the File Explorer address bar: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\AC\TokenBroker\Accounts
  5. Select all files and delete them.
  6. Restart the device.
  7. Download and run the SaRA package for sign in issues.

For manual troubleshooting for step 7, or for more information, see Fix authentication issues in Office applications when you try to connect to a Microsoft 365 service.

Add a second email account to Outlook

For instructions to do so, see Add an email account to Outlook.

When prompted, select Allow my organization to manage my device. When the process is completed, restart the device and try activating Microsoft 365 again. You can remove the second email account from Outlook afterward.

Enable the device in the Microsoft 365 admin center

A Microsoft 365 admin can try the following steps to solve the problem.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  2. Navigate to Microsoft Entra Admin Center > Microsoft Entra ID > Devices.
  3. Check the disabled device list for the device, select it, and choose Enable.
Create a new Windows user account
  1. Perform a clean boot of Windows. For instructions, see How to perform a clean boot in Windows.
  2. Create a new user account, and then make that account an administrator. For instructions, see Create a local user or administrator account in Windows.
  3. Sign in to Windows with the new account.
  4. Download and install Office.
  5. Try to activate Microsoft 365 again.