MS OneNote Sign In - error 44

Question

MS OneNote Sign In - error 44

Steve C 0

My previous employer installed their safety protocols/ licenses on my BYO laptop. I no longer work there and am now having issues logging into my account / syncing my MS OneNote because it still thinks I need a corporate license which is no longer active. This is my personal device. How do I disassociate my previous employer and their licenses/ login info from all of my personal devices and accounts?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 18,515 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Steve C,

It sounds like your OneNote sign-in issue may be related to your device still retaining information from a previous work account. Since this is your personal laptop and the former employer's license is no longer active, OneNote can sometimes continue trying to use outdated account information, which may prevent successful authentication or syncing.

One additional place to check is Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts. If your previous work account is still listed there under accounts used by apps, try removing it and then restart the device. After restarting, open OneNote and confirm that only your personal Microsoft account is being used to access your notebooks.

If the issue persists, it may also be worth checking whether the device still shows any signs of organizational management, as that can sometimes continue to influence how Microsoft 365 apps authenticate.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Steve C 0 Reputation points

2026-09-07T14:42:36.18+00:00

I should have clarified that I am on a Mac. And yes, I believe that is the case, they did apply their organization management when I was employed there.

Any suggestions how I go about removing that now? I can't easily find any references to the corporate account, but it does say in OneNote that the license comes from them.

Thank you for your help.
Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-09T00:55:55.91+00:00

Hi Steve C,

Thank you for the additional details. Since you're using a Mac and OneNote is still showing a license from your previous employer, it sounds like the device may still have remnants of your former organization's account or management profile associated with it.

On macOS, I'd recommend checking System Settings > Privacy & Security for a Profiles or Device Management section. If a profile from your former employer is present and you no longer need it, removing that profile can help disconnect organization-managed settings from the device.

You can also review System Settings > Internet Accounts and remove any old Microsoft 365, Exchange, or work accounts that belong to your previous employer. Afterward, restart your Mac and sign back into OneNote using only your personal Microsoft account.

Another area worth checking is Keychain Access (Applications > Utilities). Search for your former work email address or organization name and remove any credentials that are clearly associated with that old account. This can help prevent OneNote from attempting to use outdated authentication information.

If OneNote continues to report that the license is provided by your former organization even after those checks, the device or account association may still exist within the organization's management environment. In that situation, the former employer's IT administrator may need to remove the remaining management or licensing assignment from their side before the personal account can fully take over.

I hope this helps narrow down the cause.

Answer 2

This is usually caused by cached work or school account sign-in, activation, or device association left on the laptop after the previous employer account was removed.

Try these steps in order:

Disconnect the old work account from Windows
- Open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
- If the old employer account is listed, select it and choose Disconnect.
- Restart the device.
Remove the old account from Office apps
- Open Word or Excel.
- Go to File > Account.
- Under connected accounts or services, sign out or remove the old work account if it appears.
Unlink OneDrive if it is still tied to the old organization
- Select the OneDrive cloud icon.
- Open Help and Settings > Settings.
- On the Account tab, select Unlink this PC.
- Restart, then sign back in only with the personal Microsoft account.
Fix OneNote authentication for sync
- In OneNote, select the sync error message if shown. This refreshes the session and may prompt for sign-in again.
- Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account that owns the notebook.
- If needed, try opening the notebook in OneNote for the web at https://www.onenote.com. If the notebook opens there, close the OneNote app, then open the notebook again from OneDrive using the same personal account.
If old credentials still keep appearing, clear cached Windows credentials
- Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials.
- Remove entries that reference the old organization account.
- This can affect saved sign-ins, so only remove entries tied to the former employer.
If the device still behaves as organization-managed
- A former work account can also remain associated at the Windows level. Recheck Settings > Accounts > Access work or school and disconnect any remaining organization entry.
If the account is still being forced by the former organization tenant
- In some cases, the account is still associated with the former organization and cannot be fully removed locally.
- If that happens, the former organization’s administrator must remove that association.

If the immediate problem is OneNote sync, the most relevant fixes are: remove the old work account from Access work or school, remove it from Office > File > Account, then sign back into OneNote with only the personal account.

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