For roughly two years, Microsoft apps on my computers have required me to sign in again after every restart. This affects Office, Microsoft Store, Xbox, games, and other Microsoft apps. Some remember my email but forget the password, while others require the full sign-in process and two-factor authentication every time.
I've reinstalled the affected apps, cleared their data, reset the PC, and tested both Windows 10 and Windows 11 on more than one computer, but the behavior continues. Office is especially troublesome because it sometimes opens an older version and needs to be closed and reopened several times after signing in.
Each repeated login also seems to register as another device on my Microsoft account. Once the device limit is reached, I'm logged out again and have to remove old devices from the account website. When this happens, my HEVC extension can stop working, and opening certain videos may crash the computer. I've checked the recent account activity and haven't noticed suspicious logins; the listed activity appears to come from my own location. What could cause Microsoft authentication tokens to be forgotten after every restart, and how can I fix it?
2 Answers
Even if the activity looks normal, changing the Microsoft account password is a worthwhile first step. It should invalidate existing sessions and force every device to authenticate again. After that, sign in cleanly and use a passkey or another supported passwordless method if available. Then monitor whether the problem returns after a few restarts.
The fact that it happens on multiple computers makes a local Windows installation problem less likely. It could be an account or authentication-token problem, so review the account’s recent activity and registered devices, remove anything unfamiliar, enable or verify two-factor authentication, and sign out of all sessions before signing in again. If it still happens everywhere after a password reset, Microsoft account support may need to investigate the account itself.
I changed the password after the first suggestion. I’m watching it for a few days, although the issue has been happening for about two years and the recent sign-ins all appear to be from my own location and devices.