What you need to know
- Outlook currently has an issue that can prevent people from signing in to their accounts.
- Microsoft is looking for a permanent fix for the problem.
- Until a permanent fix is found, it's possible to work around the issue by turning off Support Diagnostics.
If you've tried to log in to your Outlook account and run into issues, you're not alone. A bug prevents some from logging in to Outlook. It can also cause Outlook.com to show "Need Password" when you already have an account added to your account profile.
Microsoft confirmed the issue and shared details about it on a support page:
You are prompted to sign into Outlook for your Outlook.com account and receive the error dialog below.
Or, you already have your Outlook.com account added in the Outlook Profile, but "Need Password" is displayed on the Status Bar. When you attempt to sign in with your Outlook.com account you receive the error dialog below.
"You can't sign in here with a personal account. Use your work or school account instead."
Microsoft is looking into a permanent fix for the problem. In the meantime, you can turn off Support Diagnostics to work around the issue. Microsoft explained that the "bug is related to how Outlook is authenticating for the diagnostics in some situations."
A separate page from Microsoft breaks down how to disable Support Diagnostics within Outlook.
Microsoft also reminded customers to set a reminder to check back in to see when a fix is available:
"Consider adding a reminder to your Outlook calendar for late December to check back to this article for the fix status and remember to remove the policy registry key so you can continue using Contact Support. You can also temporarily turn off the workaround if you need to submit an issue in the interim."
Microsoft's support page was last updated on October 27, 2022, so it will be worth checking back in later this week (via Neowin).
