Microsoft Account Error Fixes

Angela Salazar

Office 365: “Your school account is no longer active.”

Here are some troubleshooting tips for when you get the dreaded error message during Microsoft 365 account creation:

  1. Disconnect the old work/school account from Windows
    • Settings → Accounts → Access work or school
    • Select the old school account → Disconnect
    • Restart the PC
  2. Sign out of Office completely
    • Open any Office app (Word, Excel, etc.)
    • File → Account → Sign out of every account listed
    • Close all Office apps
  3. Clear cached credentials
    • Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials
    • Remove anything related to Microsoft, Office, or the old school email
  4. Clear identity/cache folders (very effective)
    • Press Win + R and delete the contents of these folders one by one:
      • %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneAuth
      • %localappdata%\Microsoft\IdentityCache
      • %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy
      • %localappdata%\Microsoft\Office\16.0\OfficeFileCache (optional)
  5. Restart the computer, then open an Office app and sign in with the new school email.

for mac:

1. Disconnect the Old Account from macOS

  1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
  2. Click Internet Accounts in the sidebar.
  3. Select your old school account (or Exchange/Microsoft account).
  4. Click Delete Account (or the – button) to remove it from the system.

2. Sign Out of Office Completely

  1. Open any Office app (Word, Excel, etc.).
  2. Click your profile icon or name in the top left corner, or go to Word → Sign Out.
  3. Sign out of every account listed.
  4. Fully quit all Office applications (Command + Q).

3. Clear Cached Credentials (Mac Keychain)

  1. Open Keychain Access (press Command + Space, type Keychain Access, and press Enter).
  2. In the search bar at the top right, type Microsoft or Office.
  3. Locate entries such as Microsoft Office Identities Cache 3, Microsoft Office Identities Settings 3, or any generic keys containing your old school email.
  4. Right-click these entries and select Delete.

4. Clear Cached Identity Folders

  1. Open Finder.
  2. Press Command + Shift + G to open the “Go to Folder” prompt.
  3. Paste each of the following paths one by one and delete the contents inside:
    • ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office
    • ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word (or Excel/PowerPoint)
    • ~/Library/Caches/com.microsoft.OneDrive (if applicable)
  4. Empty the Trash.

5. Restart and Re-authenticate

  1. Restart your Mac.
  2. Open Microsoft Word or Excel.
  3. Sign in using your new school email credentials.

Finally, Microsoft has a special tool if none of this works:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/troubleshoot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-apps/activation/reset-office-365-proplus-activation-state

Updated