If you recently changed your Microsoft 365 password, Teams may greet you with a message saying you are missing out when you try to sign in. This happens because Teams caches your old credentials and does not automatically refresh them after a password change. In this article, you will learn why this occurs and how to fix it using the Teams sign-in cache, Windows Credential Manager, and the Teams admin center.
You will also discover related issues such as being stuck on the sign-in screen or receiving repeated password prompts. By the end, you will be able to sign in to Teams without seeing the missing out message.
Key Takeaways: Fix Teams Sign-in After a Password Change
- Sign out and sign back in from Teams: Clears the cached sign-in state and forces a fresh authentication with your new password.
- Windows Credential Manager > Windows Credentials: Delete the cached Teams and Microsoft Office credentials to remove old password entries.
- Teams admin center > Users > Manage users > Policies: Verify that your sign-in policy does not block authentication after a password reset.
Why Teams Shows the Missing Out Message After a Password Change
When you change your Microsoft 365 password, Teams does not automatically update the stored authentication tokens. The Teams desktop app caches your sign-in state in local files and in the Windows Credential Manager. If the cached token becomes stale, Teams cannot validate your identity and displays a message that you are missing out, which is a generic error for authentication failures.
Another cause is that the Teams app may be running in the background during the password change. The background process holds the old token, and when you try to sign in, it uses that outdated token. The message appears because the server rejects the token, but the app does not prompt you to re-enter your password.
How Teams Handles Authentication Tokens
Teams uses Azure Active Directory for authentication. When you sign in, Teams receives an access token and a refresh token. The refresh token is valid for a set period, but if your password changes, the refresh token is invalidated. Teams tries to use the refresh token silently, fails, and shows the missing out message instead of asking for your password.
Steps to Clear the Teams Sign-in Cache and Re-authenticate
Follow these steps in order to clear all cached credentials and sign in with your new password.
- Close Teams completely
Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray and select Quit. If you do not see the icon, press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to open Task Manager, find Microsoft Teams in the Processes tab, and click End task. - Clear the Teams cache folder
Open File Explorer and type%appdata%\Microsoft\Teamsin the address bar. Delete all files and folders inside this directory. Do not delete the Teams folder itself. This removes cached profile data that may contain the old token. - Remove cached credentials from Windows Credential Manager
Open the Windows Control Panel, select User Accounts, then Credential Manager. Click Windows Credentials. Look for entries that start withMicrosoftTeamsorMicrosoftOffice16. Click the arrow next to each entry and select Remove. Confirm the deletion. - Restart Teams and sign in
Launch Teams from the Start menu. When prompted, enter your work or school account and your new Microsoft 365 password. If you have multi-factor authentication enabled, complete that step as well. - Check the sign-in policy in the Teams admin center
If the missing out message persists, go to the Teams admin center at admin.teams.microsoft.com. Navigate to Users > Manage users. Select your account and review the assigned policies under Policies. Ensure that the sign-in frequency policy does not block re-authentication.
If Teams Still Has Issues After the Main Fix
Teams Stuck on the Sign-in Screen After Entering the New Password
This often happens when the Teams app cannot write to the cache folder because of permission issues. Close Teams, right-click the Teams shortcut, and select Run as administrator. Sign in again. If that works, the problem is a permissions issue on the appdata folder.
Teams Keeps Asking for the Password Even After Signing In
This indicates that the refresh token is still invalid. Sign out from Teams by clicking your profile picture and selecting Sign out. Then repeat the cache clearing steps. Also, check if your organization has a conditional access policy that requires re-authentication after a password change.
Teams Shows Missing Out on a Mobile Device
On mobile, the fix is simpler. Uninstall the Teams app, reinstall it from the app store, and sign in with your new password. This clears the app cache completely and forces a fresh authentication.
Teams Desktop vs Teams on the Web After a Password Change
| Item | Teams Desktop | Teams on the Web |
|---|---|---|
| Cache location | Local appdata folder and Windows Credential Manager | Browser cache and cookies |
| Sign-in behavior | Uses cached tokens silently | May prompt for password more frequently |
| Fix after password change | Clear cache folder and Credential Manager | Clear browser cache or use InPrivate mode |
You can now sign in to Teams without the missing out message by clearing the cached credentials and re-authenticating. If the problem persists, check your organization’s sign-in policies and consider using Teams on the web as a temporary workaround. For a quick test, press Ctrl+Shift+N in your browser to open an InPrivate window and sign in there.