I have 365 installed but need to sign in every time I used MS Office

Grace Shi 5 Reputation points
2026-01-07T12:45:05.2+00:00

I have Microsoft 365 installed on my laptop but I always have to sign in each time I use Microsoft Office, e.g., Excel, Word, etc.. My work was never saved when I was prompted to sign in every time. Please advise.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Android

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  1. AI answer

    2026-01-07T12:45:14.4833333+00:00

    If you are prompted to sign in every time you use Microsoft Office applications like Excel or Word, it may be due to a registry setting that prevents automatic sign-in after signing out. This behavior is expected when you log out of an Office app using your Active Directory account. To resolve this issue, you can delete the SignedOutADUser registry key. Here are the steps:

    1. Open Registry Editor.
    2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office<x.0>\Common\Identity (where <x.0> corresponds to your version of Office, e.g., 16.0 for Office 2016).
    3. Right-click the SignedOutADUser registry key and select Delete.
    4. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

    After performing these steps, you should not be prompted to sign in every time you open an Office application.

    Additionally, ensure that the Allow Office to connect to the Internet option is selected under Trust Center Privacy Options to avoid being prompted for your password each time.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Noel Macadangdang 16,895 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-01-07T14:18:26.4166667+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for sharing your question. I understand that you have to sign in every time you open apps like Word or Excel, and that your work is not saved when prompted to sign in repeatedly. I know how frustrating this can be, especially when you expect your files and settings to stay connected without interruptions.

    This issue often occurs when Office is not properly activated or when account credentials are not stored correctly. To resolve this, make sure your Microsoft 365 subscription is active and that you are signed in with the correct account. You can check this by opening any Office app, going to File > Account, and verifying your subscription status. If the problem persists, try repairing Office from Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Quick Repair, and ensure that your credentials are saved in Windows Credential Manager. Also, confirm that your device is connected to the internet for license verification.

     

    I hope this helps.

     

    Best Regards,

    Noel

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