I can usually enter my Outlook or Microsoft account credentials successfully, but instead of staying signed in, the site immediately redirects me to the sign-out screen. It sometimes switches me into a different email account as well. I've already cleared cookies and tried other browsers, but the problem still happens occasionally. I'm currently using Firefox and separate browser containers for different accounts. Private browsing lets me sign in normally, but I'd prefer a lasting fix because it doesn't retain my usual cookies, sessions, or account settings.
3 Answers
Using a private window is a useful workaround, but the behavior usually points to conflicting Microsoft sessions or corrupted site data. Since you’re using separate Firefox containers, check that each Microsoft or Outlook domain is assigned to the intended container, then remove only the saved cookies and site data for those domains rather than wiping everything. Signing out of every Microsoft account first and signing back into the one you need may also clear up the account mix-up.
The automatic switch to another email account strongly suggests that an existing Microsoft session is being reused. Visit the Microsoft account sign-out page, sign out of all active accounts, close the browser, and then start a fresh session in the correct container. You may need to repeat this for Outlook and other Microsoft services because they can share login cookies.
Firefox can sometimes get stuck in an authentication loop with Microsoft services, especially when multiple accounts are active. Make sure Firefox is fully updated, temporarily disable extensions that affect privacy, cookies, or login sessions, and test with enhanced tracking protection relaxed just for the affected Microsoft pages. If it works after that, an extension or stricter cookie setting is likely interfering with the redirect.
It’s worth testing extensions one at a time. The fact that private browsing works suggests the stored session data or an extension may be the difference.
The containers do keep the accounts separated most of the time, so I’ll try clearing the Microsoft site data inside the affected container and signing into all sessions again.