Fix "work or school account problem" error

Resolve issues causing a "Work or school account problem" error message in Windows. Relevant to personal PCs, managed staff desktops, CONNECT and multifactor authentication (MFA)

Applies to: Windows 10 used with an Office 365 account

Symptoms

A Windows notification pops up titled Work or school account problem. Office 365 applications including Outlook, Teams and OneDrive may not be working correctly.

Expand All

  1. Open Settings > System > Shared Experiences by clicking on the notification panel or press Windows  + I > System > Shared Experiences
  2. Under Accounts there may be a Fix Now button. Click this and follow the prompts to resolve basic issues
  3. If you are asked which account to use, select the one ending @ox.ac.uk (not your email address)
  4. You may be prompted to select your account multiple times, even 6 or 7 times is not unusual - keep selecting the same account

If you had an account prior to the introduction of multi-factor authentication in late 2020 / early 2021 then a change in your account details can cause this issue to stick around. The following steps may help:

  1. Follow the Fix Now Button solution above first to ensure that all apps have switched over to your new account details
  2. Press Windows  + I > Accounts > Access work or school
  3. If you have two or more accounts listed, including one based on your email address and one ending @ox.ac.uk, then select the one based on your email address, click Disconnect and follow any prompts
  4. After a short while the old connection to your Office 365 account will be removed, leaving the new one in place

Further Assistance

If none of the solutions help then please contact the Service Desk or your local IT team.

Related links

Get support

If you cannot find the solution you need here then we have other ways to get IT support

GET IT SUPPORT