How to fix MS Office stored credentials issue

Lee Yong Ghoon 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T08:57:39.13+00:00

I am using Windows 11 Home Version 25H2. I have been experiencing difficulty in accessing my MS Office products due to the error messages below:

Document Header: Document - Word (Unlicensed Product)

Details: "Sign in to Office - It looks like your stored credentials are out of date. Please sign as <email address> so we can verify your subscription."

I am not sure if the issues above has been previously addressed by anyone, but if there is, could you guide me through on how to solve it, please? Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-06-03T08:58:00.9+00:00

    The message appears because Office is still tied to an account whose subscription can’t be verified, so Word is running in unlicensed/read‑only mode. To fix this, remove the old account and its cached credentials, then reinstall and activate Office with a valid Microsoft 365 or Office license.

    Follow these steps on the Windows 11 PC:

    1. Uninstall the current Office apps
      1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
      2. Find Microsoft 365/Office and uninstall it.
    2. Disconnect the old work or school account from Windows
      1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Access work or school.
      2. If the old account (the one shown in the “Sign in to Office” prompt) is listed, select it and choose Disconnect.
    3. Remove cached work credentials
      1. Open Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials.
      2. Remove any entries referencing the old work account or organization.
    4. Clear Office sign‑in and identity caches
      1. Press Windows + R and open each of the Office sign‑in/identity cache locations referenced by support (for example, identity and auth caches under the user profile) and delete their contents.
      2. If a subfolder cannot be deleted, open it and delete its contents instead.
      3. Restart the computer.
    5. Confirm a valid subscription on the correct account
      1. In a browser, sign in with the personal Microsoft account that should own the subscription.
      2. Verify that a Microsoft 365 or Office product is listed and active under Subscriptions.
    6. Reinstall Office and sign in with the correct account
      1. In a browser, go to office.com and sign in with the same personal account that has the active subscription.
      2. Select Apps → Install apps to download and install Office.
      3. Open Word and, when prompted, sign in with this same account (not the old work email).

    After activation completes with the correct account, the “Unlicensed Product” label and the “stored credentials are out of date” prompt should no longer appear, and editing will be restored.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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