How to Switch Microsoft Account on Microsoft Store Without Sign-Out Loop

Quick fix: In Microsoft Store, click your profile icon (top-right) → Sign out, then click the profile icon again and Sign in with the new account. If it loops back to the old account, clear the Store cache with wsreset from Win + R first.

You bought an app or signed up for Game Pass with a different Microsoft account, but the Store keeps signing you in as your primary account. The sign-out loop happens because the Store shares credentials with the Windows account on the PC — if you don’t fully clear the cached identity, Store re-attaches to the system account.

What causes this

The Microsoft Store binds to two identity sources: (1) the Windows sign-in account (if it’s a Microsoft Account), and (2) a separate Store-only account override. By default, Store uses (1) and silently re-attaches to it whenever the cache is cleared or the Store relaunches. To use a different account in Store while keeping Windows signed in to the primary, you need to explicitly override (2) — and that override is what gets lost in the sign-out loop.

Common trigger: signing out from the Store profile icon clears the override, but the Store then re-fetches (1) and signs you back in. The fix is to clear the cache between sign-out and sign-in to break the auto-attach.

Method 1: WSReset + sign in cleanly

The standard fix for the sign-out loop.

1. Close the Microsoft Store app entirely. Verify in Task Manager → Processes — no Microsoft Store entries.
2. Press Win + R, type wsreset.exe, press Enter. A black Command Prompt window appears and runs for 20–60 seconds. Store will auto-launch when reset completes.
3. Once Store reopens, click the profile icon (top-right). If it still shows your primary account, click Sign out.
4. Wait for the profile icon to show as a generic silhouette.
5. Click the silhouette → Sign in.
6. In the account picker, click Use a different account. Enter the email and password of the account you want.
7. The Store now displays the new account’s purchases, subscriptions, and Game Pass library.

WSReset clears the Store’s identity cache so sign-out actually takes effect.

Method 2: Add the alternate account to Windows first

For users who switch accounts often and want a cleaner toggle.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Email & accounts.
2. Under Accounts used by other apps, click Add a Microsoft account.
3. Enter the email/password of the alternate Microsoft account.
4. Once added, open Microsoft Store. Click the profile icon → Sign in.
5. The account picker now shows both your primary and the newly-added alternate. Pick the alternate.
6. The Store switches to the alternate account’s purchases without needing the sign-out loop.
7. To switch back: profile icon → Sign in → pick the other one.

This is the smoother experience. Once both accounts are registered with Windows, switching is a single click.

Method 3: Use a separate Windows user account for each Microsoft account

For users who fundamentally want isolation — work installations in one account, personal in another.

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Other users.
2. Click Add account.
3. Sign in with the alternate Microsoft account (or create a local account first and link it later).
4. Sign out of the current Windows user (Start → user icon → Sign out). Sign in as the new user.
5. In the new user, open Microsoft Store. It signs in automatically with that user’s linked Microsoft account.
6. App installs done in this user are tied to this account’s license. Apps installed under the primary user remain in the primary user.
7. To switch: use Start → user icon → choose the other account.

The trade-off: file paths, browser bookmarks, and OneDrive folders are also separate. Use this approach if account isolation matters; use Method 1 or 2 if you just want Store to show a different library.

How to verify the fix worked

• In Microsoft Store, click the profile icon. The account email shown should be the alternate, not the primary.
• Click Library in the left sidebar. The list should match what the alternate account owns, not the primary.
• Click an app you previously purchased on the alternate account. The Get button should show Install (already owned), not a price.

If none of these work

If WSReset followed by sign-in still loops back to the primary account, the Store credential cache in the Windows Credential Manager is sticky. Open Control Panel → User Accounts → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials. Look for entries starting with MicrosoftAccount: or WindowsLive:. Remove all of them. Run wsreset again, then sign in with the alternate account — this time without auto-attach interference. For PCs joined to Azure AD or a domain, the work/school account may be enforcing the sign-in; in that case, you can’t override the Store account without admin intervention or Method 3’s separate-user approach.

Bottom line: The sign-out loop is a Store cache issue — wsreset between sign-out and sign-in breaks it, or add both accounts to Windows for a clean toggle.