Outlook keeps asking for your password? Stop the loop.

A password box that keeps coming back, even after you type the right password, is almost never a hacked account. It’s a stale token or a cached credential Outlook can’t clear on its own. Here’s how to fix it for good.

01 · Start here.

  1. Fully restart Outlook, then Windows. A surprising share of password loops are a transient token that a clean restart clears.
  2. Update Office. File → Office Account → Update Options → Update Now. Microsoft has patched several well-known prompt bugs, so an out-of-date build may be the whole problem.
  3. Complete any multi-factor prompt fully. If your firm uses MFA, an expired session forces a fresh sign-in. Approve it once, all the way through, rather than dismissing it.

02 · Clear the cached login.

The most reliable fix is removing the old saved credential Windows keeps handing Outlook:

  1. Open Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials.
  2. Find any entries beginning with MicrosoftOffice or OutlookAccount and remove them.
  3. Reopen Outlook and sign in once when asked. It stores a fresh token.

While you’re in Outlook, check Account Settings → Change → More Settings → Security and make sure “Always prompt for logon credentials” is unticked.

03 · Rebuild the profile.

If the prompt survives all that, the Outlook profile is corrupt. Build a fresh one:

  1. Control Panel → Mail → Show Profiles → Add.
  2. Name it, add your Microsoft 365 account, and set it as the default.
  3. Open Outlook on the new profile.

For a Microsoft 365 / Exchange account this won’t lose mail. Everything re-downloads from the server.

04 · Or let KoalaFix do it.

KoalaFix runs exactly this sequence for the person at the keyboard (clearing the stale credential, checking modern-auth and MFA state, and rebuilding the profile if it has to) from a plain-English “Outlook keeps asking for my password.” No ticket, no waiting on the office tech.

Try KoalaFix free → See how it works

05 · FAQ.

Why does Outlook keep asking for my password even when I type it correctly?

Outlook is being handed an old, cached credential or an expired token that it can’t refresh. Removing the saved credential in Windows Credential Manager and signing in fresh usually ends it.

Does this mean my account has been hacked?

Almost never. A repeating password prompt is a local token or credential-cache issue, not a sign of compromise. If you’re still worried, change your password and review sign-in activity in your Microsoft 365 account.

Will recreating my Outlook profile delete my emails?

No. For a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account your mail lives on the server and re-downloads into the new profile.