Outlook.com Won't Load or You Can't Sign In? How to Get Back In

You go to Outlook.com and it either spins forever on a blank/loading screen, or it refuses your password and won’t let you in.

Why there are two very different causes: a sign-in rejection is an account problem (wrong password, locked account, blocked for unusual activity) and is solved with Microsoft’s sign-in helper. A page that won’t load after you’re signed in is almost always a browser problem (cached files, cookies, an extension). This is the Outlook.com website — separate from the new Outlook for Windows app and from Outlook mobile.

Fix 1: Run the Microsoft account sign-in helper

When the password is refused or you see “We couldn’t find an account with that username,” let Microsoft diagnose it:

1. Open the sign-in helper at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2214157.
2. Enter the email address or phone number you’re trying to sign in with.
3. Follow the result — it will tell you whether to reset your password, recover the username, or unblock the account.
4. If you’ve simply forgotten the password, use Reset your password from the sign-in screen.

Fix 2: Rule out a browser problem

If the sign-in page itself loads only in a private window, or the mailbox is stuck loading:

1. Open Outlook.com in an InPrivate / Incognito window. If it works there, the cause is your normal profile’s cache or an extension.
2. Back in your normal window, clear cached files and cookies for live.com, outlook.com, and office.com.
3. Disable browser extensions (ad/script blockers are common culprits), then reload.
4. Try a different browser to confirm it’s profile-specific.

Fix 3: Clear stale Windows credentials

A bad cached token can block sign-in from Windows:

1. Press the Windows key, type Credential Manager, press Enter.
2. Open Windows Credentials and remove entries mentioning MicrosoftAccount, Outlook, Office16, or WindowsLive.
3. Restart the PC and sign in again.

Fix 4: Two-step verification and codes

If you can’t get past a verification prompt, you’re not getting codes, or you recently changed devices, work through Microsoft’s verification-code troubleshooting and confirm your security info is current.

FAQ

It says my account is blocked. Microsoft temporarily blocks accounts after unusual sign-in activity — the sign-in helper walks you through unblocking it.

Outlook.com loads on my phone but not my PC. That points to your PC’s browser (cache, cookies, or an extension), not your account — work through Fix 2.

I can’t remember which email I used. Use the sign-in helper’s account look-up; an account inactive for two or more years may have been closed.

Sources: Microsoft Support — I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account