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Email & Outlook

Outlook Keeps Asking for Your Password (Microsoft 365)? Stop the Endless Prompt

Published June 10, 2026 · by The FixHub Team

Outlook won’t stop asking for your password — you type it, it’s accepted, and seconds or minutes later the prompt is back. The status bar shows “Need Password,” or you get “The connection to Microsoft Exchange is unavailable.”

Why the usual advice loops you forever: everyone says “delete the saved password in Credential Manager and retype it.” If the password were wrong you’d be locked out, not prompted repeatedly — so clearing cached credentials just resets the loop. For Microsoft 365 accounts the real causes are a profile authentication setting or the account not using modern authentication.

Fix 1: Set “Logon network security” to Anonymous Authentication

A legacy profile setting forces repeated prompts:

  1. File → Account Settings → Account Settings → double-click your Exchange/M365 account → More Settings → Security tab.
  2. Set Logon network security to Anonymous Authentication (not “Negotiate”/“Kerberos”).
  3. OK out, restart Outlook.

Fix 2: Make sure modern authentication is on

Microsoft 365 requires modern authentication (OAuth). If it’s off, Outlook falls back to basic auth, which now fails/loops:

  • Confirm you’re on a current, updated build (File → Office Account → Update Options → Update Now). Basic auth for Exchange Online has been retired, so an old client prompts endlessly.
  • If your org disabled modern auth, that’s an admin tenant setting to re-enable.

Fix 3: Clear the stored credentials — once, then re-sign-in cleanly

After Fixes 1–2, reset the cached token so Outlook re-authenticates properly:

  1. Quit Outlook.
  2. Credential Manager (control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager) → Windows Credentials → delete entries starting with MicrosoftOffice… / MS.Outlook….
  3. Reopen Outlook and complete the modern-auth sign-in (a browser-style box, not the old grey prompt).

Fix 4: Repair the profile / Office

  • Repair the Office install: Settings → Installed apps → Microsoft 365 → Modify → Quick Repair (then Online Repair if needed).
  • Rebuild the profile: Control Panel → Mail → Show Profiles → add a new profile and set it default. A corrupted profile reintroduces the prompt no matter how many times you retype the password.

FAQ

Why does it only happen on one PC? That profile has the wrong “Logon network security” setting or a stale credential; another PC with a fresh modern-auth profile won’t prompt.

Could it be MFA? If you recently enabled multi-factor auth, Outlook needs a modern-auth re-sign-in (and possibly an app password on very old clients). Update Outlook and sign in via the modern prompt.

It’s a Gmail/Yahoo account, not 365. Those need an app password or OAuth consent, not your normal password — a different error family (0x800CCC0E/0F). Check the provider’s account-security page.

Sources: Microsoft Learn — Outlook continually prompts for password when connecting to Microsoft 365