Something went wrong. [657rx] Error, while using Outlook in office 365

Sign out of Office, clear the Microsoft Entra authentication cache, and reconnect the Windows work account to resolve Outlook error 657rx on Microsoft 365 for business.

Clear the cached sign-in and re-register the account

1. Sign out and close Office
   • In Outlook, Word, or Excel, select File → Office Account → Sign out.
   • Close every Office application, including Outlook.
2. Clear the authentication cache
   • Press Windows key + R.
   • Enter:

          %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy
     

   • Delete the contents of that folder. This removes local sign-in tokens; it does not delete mailbox data.^1^
3. Reconnect the work account
   • Open Settings → Accounts → Access work or school.
   • If the affected business account appears, select it and choose Disconnect.
   • Select Connect, then sign in again with the Microsoft 365 business account.
   • If the account was not listed, select Connect and add it.^2^
   If Windows is managed by the organization, contact its IT administrator before disconnecting the account because doing so can temporarily remove organizational access from the device.
4. Remove obsolete saved credentials
   • Open Control Panel → User Accounts → Credential Manager.
   • Check both Windows Credentials and Generic Credentials.
   • Remove entries associated with the affected Microsoft 365 business account.
   • Restart Windows.^1^
5. Open Word first, sign in with the business account, and then open Outlook. Confirm that Outlook adds the account without error 657rx.

If error 657rx remains

Reset Microsoft 365 activation

For Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise on Windows, use Microsoft’s supported cleanup scripts:

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Download and extract OLicenseCleanup.zip from Microsoft’s activation-reset article.
3. Run OLicenseCleanup.vbs with elevated permissions.
4. The same article provides signoutofwamaccounts.ps1 for clearing Office Web Account Manager accounts.
5. Restart Windows and activate Office again.

These tools remove cached licenses and account information, so ensure the correct licensed account and credentials are available before running them.^3^

Repair the WAM plug-in—only if authentication still fails across Office apps

Open Windows PowerShell as administrator and run:

if (-not (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin)) {
    Add-AppxPackage -Register `
      "$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" `
      -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
}
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin

This reinstalls the Microsoft Entra Web Account Manager package if its registration is missing. It applies to Windows 10 version 1703 or later with Microsoft 365 version 1807 or later.^4^

Repair Office if the error occurs when applications start

Go to Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features, select Microsoft 365, choose Change, and run Online Repair. Online Repair is more comprehensive than Quick Repair and repairs the entire Office suite.[^5^](https://support.microsoft.com/office/-something-went-wrong-error-when-you-try-to-start-a-microsoft-365-app-4b4471dd-cf86-4a37-910d-35a01a6c7d17 ""Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app")

If the account works in Outlook on the web but still fails in every desktop Office application after these steps, provide the Microsoft 365 administrator with the displayed correlation ID, timestamp, error code, and tag 657rx. Do not post those identifiers publicly.

References

1. how to fix Correlation Id: ff5acba3-3720-4627-9cc9-8a1c1e4521e2 - Microsoft Q&A
2. something went wrong. [657rx] - Microsoft Q&A
3. Reset activation state for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
4. Fix authentication issues in Microsoft 365 apps when you try to connect to a Microsoft 365 service
5. "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app