My Microsoft Edge is linked to the wrong Microsoft account

Steven Nowick 0 Reputation points
2026-09-07T00:13:07.07+00:00

When I try to access the password manager inside my Microsoft Edge, it asks me to sign in to my Microsoft Account. When I try to do so with my valid Microsoft Account name and password (which works when I log in directly to my Microsoft Account), Microsoft Edge rejects this account, and demands I use another Account Name. How do I get Microsoft Edge to recognize my correct Microsoft Account name and password?

Microsoft Edge | Profile, sync, and sign in | Windows 10
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Hendrix-V 19,650 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-07T07:13:26.33+00:00

    Hi Steven Nowick,

    Based on your description, it sounds like Edge may be associating the Password Manager with a different profile than the Microsoft account you're trying to use. This can happen if the browser profile and the account used elsewhere in Microsoft services do not match.

    As an alternative check, try creating a fresh Edge profile and test the sign-in there:

    1. Open Edge and select your profile icon in the upper-right corner.
    2. Choose Add profile > Set up new profile.
    3. Complete the setup without importing data from the existing profile.
    4. Sign in using the Microsoft account that works on the Microsoft Account website.
    5. Open Password Manager and check whether it recognizes the account correctly.

    If the sign-in works in the new profile, the issue is likely isolated to the original Edge profile configuration rather than the Microsoft account itself.

    You can also test in an InPrivate window to see whether the same account prompt appears. If it does not, that may further indicate a profile-specific setting or stored sign-in state affecting the original profile.

    I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-09-07T00:13:26.5633333+00:00

    This usually happens when Microsoft Edge has a conflicting signed-in profile, cached credentials, or both a personal and work/school account associated with the same email address.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. Sign out of the current Edge profile
      • In Microsoft Edge, go to edge://settings/profiles.
      • Select the profile that is signed in with the wrong account.
      • Select Sign out.
    2. Check for conflicting profiles
      • In edge://settings/profiles, review all profiles.
      • If there are multiple profiles using different Microsoft accounts, especially a personal account and a work or school account, they can conflict.
      • If needed, remove the problematic profile and then restart Edge.
      • Warning: removing a profile deletes local browsing data for that profile, including favorites, history, and passwords that are not synced.
    3. Clear cached sign-in data
      • Go to edge://settings/privacy.
      • Under Clear browsing data, select Choose what to clear.
      • Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
      • Set the time range to All time.
      • Select Clear now.
      • Restart Microsoft Edge.
    4. Remove outdated stored credentials in Windows
      • Open Credential Manager from Control Panel.
      • Under Windows Credentials and Generic Credentials, remove entries related to MicrosoftAccount or login.microsoftonline.com.
      • Restart Edge and try signing in again.
    5. Try signing in again with the correct account
      • Go back to edge://settings/profiles and sign in with the account that works on the Microsoft account website.
    6. If Edge asks “Which account do you want to use?”
      • That means the same email address exists as both a personal Microsoft account and a work or school account.
      • To stop that prompt, change the personal account’s primary alias in Manage how you sign in: Manage sign-in preferences
      • Another option is to contact the organization that created the work or school account and ask them to remove the conflicting entry.
    7. If the account works on the web but still fails only in Edge
      • Update Edge by going to edge://settings/help and let it install the latest version.
      • Then restart Edge and try again.

    If the issue continues on Windows, also check:

    • Settings > Accounts > Your info to confirm the Windows account is connected.
    • For work or school accounts: Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.