There Was a Problem Signing You In Loop Continues: OneDrive for Business Fix

You click Sign In in OneDrive, enter your work or school credentials, and instead of syncing, the same error message reappears: There was a problem signing you in. This loop can continue indefinitely, preventing OneDrive from connecting to Microsoft 365. The root cause is almost always a corrupt credential cache, a stale authentication token, or a conflict with Windows Web Account Manager. This article explains why the loop occurs and provides four tested methods to break it and restore normal sign-in.

Why OneDrive Shows the Sign-In Error Repeatedly

When you sign in to OneDrive, the client stores authentication tokens in Windows Credential Manager and Windows Web Account Manager. These tokens have expiration dates tied to your Microsoft 365 tenant. If a token becomes corrupted, expires without refreshing properly, or conflicts with cached credentials from a previous version of Windows, the sign-in attempt fails. The error message appears, but OneDrive does not clear the bad tokens. Each new sign-in attempt uses the same corrupted data, creating the loop.

Common Triggers for the Loop

The loop can start after a Windows update, a password reset, a change in Multi-Factor Authentication settings, or a switch between Microsoft 365 tenants. In some cases, third-party security software that intercepts authentication calls can block the token refresh. The loop also occurs when the OneDrive process runs with elevated permissions while the user account does not have the same level of access.

Steps to Fix the Sign-In Loop

Follow these methods in the order shown. Each method removes or refreshes the authentication data that causes the loop. After each method, restart OneDrive and test the sign-in.

Method 1: Unlink OneDrive from the PC

1. Open OneDrive Settings
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area and select Settings. If the icon is missing, open OneDrive from the Start menu.
2. Go to the Account tab
   In the Settings window, click the Account tab at the top.
3. Click Unlink this PC
   Under your account name, click Unlink this PC. Confirm the prompt. OneDrive will stop syncing and close the settings window.
4. Restart OneDrive and sign in again
   Open OneDrive from the Start menu. Enter your Microsoft 365 credentials. If the loop is gone, syncing resumes.

Method 2: Clear Credential Manager Entries

1. Open Credential Manager
   Press Windows key + R, type control keymgr.dll, and press Enter.
2. Select Windows Credentials
   Click Windows Credentials at the top of the window.
3. Remove all OneDrive and Microsoft Office entries
   Scroll through the Generic Credentials list. Look for entries that contain OneDrive, MicrosoftOffice, or Microsoft AAD. Click the arrow next to each entry and select Remove. Confirm each removal.
4. Restart OneDrive
   Close Credential Manager. Restart OneDrive from the Start menu. Sign in with your work or school account.

Method 3: Reset OneDrive Sync Client

1. Close OneDrive completely
   Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon and select Quit. Verify that OneDrive is not running in Task Manager.
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator
   Press Windows key + X and select Terminal Admin or Command Prompt Admin. Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt.
3. Run the reset command
   Type onedrive.exe /reset and press Enter. The command does not delete your local files. It clears the sync database and cached tokens.
4. Start OneDrive manually
   Type onedrive.exe in the Command Prompt and press Enter. The OneDrive setup window appears. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials.

Method 4: Repair Microsoft 365 Apps

1. Open Programs and Features
   Press Windows key + R, type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Select Microsoft 365 Apps
   Scroll to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or business. Right-click and select Change.
3. Choose Quick Repair
   In the repair window, select Quick Repair and click Repair. Follow the on-screen instructions. A Quick Repair takes a few minutes and does not require a product key.
4. Restart the computer
   After the repair completes, restart Windows. Open OneDrive and sign in.

If OneDrive Still Shows the Sign-In Loop

OneDrive sign-in loop occurs only on a specific network

Corporate networks with strict firewall rules or proxy servers can block the authentication endpoints that OneDrive requires. Check with your IT department to confirm that the following URLs are allowed: login.microsoftonline.com, graph.microsoft.com, and onedrive.live.com. If you use a VPN, disconnect and try signing in on the local network.

The sign-in loop returns after a few days

This pattern indicates that Windows Web Account Manager is not refreshing tokens correctly. Open Windows Settings > Accounts > Access work or school. Click your Microsoft 365 account and select Disconnect. Restart the computer, then add the account again from the same settings page. After the account is reconnected, open OneDrive and sign in.

Multiple Microsoft 365 accounts cause the loop

If you have signed in to more than one Microsoft 365 account on the same Windows profile, the credential cache can contain conflicting tokens. Remove all OneDrive credentials from Credential Manager as described in Method 2. Then sign in to only the primary work or school account in OneDrive.

Unlink vs Reset vs Credential Manager: What Each Fix Does

Item	Unlink This PC	OneDrive /reset	Credential Manager Removal
Scope	Removes the account link from the OneDrive client	Deletes the sync database and cached tokens	Removes stored credentials from the Windows vault
Local files affected	None	None	None
Time to complete	2 minutes	5 minutes	3 minutes
When to use	First-line fix for the sign-in loop	If unlinking fails or the loop persists	If both unlink and reset fail

The There was a problem signing you in loop in OneDrive is caused by corrupted or stale authentication tokens. Unlinking the PC, clearing Credential Manager entries, or resetting the sync client removes the bad tokens and allows a fresh sign-in. If the loop returns, disconnect the Microsoft 365 account from Windows Settings and reconnect it. Use the /reset command as the most thorough fix that does not delete your local files.