Windows 11 - OneDrive Sign-in Loop

Dave Dumont 20 Reputation points
2026-03-23T14:15:20.5366667+00:00

Good Morning,

I just had Dell install new motherboard in my Desktop, I'm not able to get Onedrive or Copilot to signin. MS is stuck in password sign-in Loop. Here is what I have done

  • I have signed all devices out from Admin Center
  • I have revoked MFA on all devices
  • cleared credential mananger
  • Unlinked the OneDrive account
  • I did try the onedrive.exe /reset but system came back it dor reconnize the command
  • I unisntalled Onedrive/ installed lastest version
  • From Installed Apps, i cleared and reset all data for OneDrive
  • I deleted the OneDrive settings under the appdata OneDrive settings folder
Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For business | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-23T14:15:42.41+00:00

    Follow these steps in order, since many initial actions are already completed:

    1. Confirm OneDrive app is installed correctly
    • Open Start and type OneDrive.
    • If the OneDrive desktop app does not appear, reinstall it using the latest installer and then try to sign in again.
    • If it appears, do not run /reset from a command prompt; instead use the Run dialog as below.
    1. Properly reset the OneDrive sync app Since onedrive.exe /reset was not recognized, run it using the full path from Run:
    1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
    2. Paste this and select OK: 
         %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    3. If a "Windows cannot find..." message appears, repeat Windows + R and try: 
         C:\Program Files\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    4. If that also fails, repeat and try: 
         C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset
    5. After the reset finishes, manually start OneDrive:
      • Select Start, type OneDrive, then open the OneDrive desktop app and sign in again.
    1. Clear OneDrive sign-in configuration Because there was a hardware change, clear cached sign-in configuration used by OneDrive:
    1. Press Windows key + R.
    2. Enter: 
         %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings
      and select OK.
    3. Delete PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
    4. Start OneDrive again from Start → OneDrive and sign in.
    1. Clear cached credentials (if not already done in this exact location) If the password loop persists:
    1. Press Windows key + R.
    2. Enter: 
         %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings
      and select OK.
    3. Confirm PreSignInSettingsConfig.json is deleted.
    4. Restart OneDrive and attempt sign-in again.
    1. Verify account and connectivity If still stuck in a sign-in loop after the above:
    1. Confirm the username and password by signing in to the Microsoft Account portal in a browser.
    2. Ensure the latest OneDrive version is installed.
    3. If sign-in works in the browser but not in the app, check firewall/VPN/security software on the PC that might be blocking OneDrive sign-in endpoints.

    If the loop continues after these steps, capture any exact error codes (for example 0x8004de80 or 0x8004de86) shown during sign-in and then repeat the reset and cached-credential steps above before trying again.

    References:

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  2. Ian-Ng 14,145 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-03-23T16:29:13.3466667+00:00

    Hi @Dave Dumont,

    Thank you for providing the details regarding the sign-in loop you’re experiencing with OneDrive and Microsoft 365 apps. 

    After a motherboard (and sometimes TPM) replacement, Windows may treat the device as a new hardware identity. This can disrupt device registration and credential components (including Windows Hello), which may contribute to repeated sign‑in prompts or authentication loops. 

    Please try the steps below in order: 

    1) Reset the OneDrive sync app. 

    Resetting OneDrive can resolve local configuration or cache issues. This does not delete your cloud files, but it resets OneDrive settings and may require you to sign in again and reselect folders to sync. 

    Please execute the specific commands detailed in the official documentation: Reset OneDrive - Microsoft Support 

    2) If Windows Hello/PIN prompts are involved, repair Windows Hello (optional). 

    If the loop coincides with Windows Hello/PIN prompts or PIN enrollment issues, you may need to reset Windows Hello credentials so Windows can generate fresh credentials.  

    Note: This can remove the existing Windows Hello PIN setup and require re-enrollment. 

    3) Validate work or school account registration 

    If this is a managed work or school device, confirm the work or school account connection and device registration are healthy. In some cases, disconnecting and re-adding the work or school account can re-establish the trust relationship after hardware changes (be aware this can impact device management policies). 

    1. Open Windows Settings and go to Accounts. 
    2. Select Access work or school. 
    3. Locate your business email address. If it is listed, click it and select Disconnect. 
    4. Restart Outlook. It should prompt you to sign in as if it were a fresh setup. During the sign-in, ensure you check the box that says "Allow my organization to manage my device" if prompted.

    4) If Office apps are also looping, use SaRA for Office cleanup/reset.

    If the issue affects Office sign‑in/activation broadly, Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) can help by scrubbing Office installations or resetting Office activation/account cache depending on the scenario. 

    The Enterprise (command-line) version of Support and Recovery Assistant is intended for Microsoft 365 administrators. If you don’t have administrator rights on the PC, please contact your IT/helpdesk so they can run the appropriate SaRA scenario for you. For a single device, the interactive/full SaRA experience is generally the recommended option.

    If the issue persists after these steps, confirm TPM is enabled and recognized by Windows so Windows can initialize it correctly. 

    Should you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  3. Punnya Chakraborty 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-02T18:59:55.4533333+00:00

    I’m experiencing similar OneDrive sign-in-loop behaviour on a Windows 11 work device, but there has been no hardware change or recent password change.

    OneDrive displays “Re-enter your credentials.” Selecting it opens the Microsoft sign-in page and displays “Just a moment…”, then returns to “Signing in…” and “OneDrive isn’t connected.” No password field, MFA prompt or verification request appears. The process repeats continuously and OneDrive remains offline, although local files are still present.

    Troubleshooting completed:

    • Reset OneDrive using the official /reset command through Windows key + R. The loop returned.
    • Deleted PreSignInSettingsConfig.json from the local OneDrive settings folder and restarted OneDrive. The loop persisted.
    • Selected Re-enter credentials, but the sign-in process continued looping without requesting any input.
    • Checked Credential Manager. OneDrive-related entries are present, but I did not remove or modify them because this is an organization-managed device.
    • Quit OneDrive to stop the recurring sign-in window from taking focus away from other applications.

    I have already submitted an internal IT ticket but have not received a resolution yet. I’m trying to determine whether this is a known OneDrive issue with a documented fix or an account, device-registration or tenant-side authentication issue that requires administrator access.

    Has anyone encountered this specific behaviour where OneDrive reaches the account page but never presents a password or MFA prompt?

    What logs or diagnostic information should the internal IT team review to identify the cause?

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