open excel without logging in

Kathy Anderson 0 Reputation points
2025-12-10T23:48:00.31+00:00

I want to be able to open excel and not login every time --

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | MacOS
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-12-10T23:48:07.83+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To open Excel without having to log in every time, you can try the following steps:

    1. Check your Office account settings: Make sure that your Office applications are set to remember your login information. You can do this by signing in to Excel, then going to File > Account and ensuring that the option to stay signed in is enabled.
    2. Use a local account: If you are using a Microsoft account, consider switching to a local account for Excel. This way, you can open Excel without needing to log in each time.
    3. Disable automatic sign-in: If you want to stop Excel from prompting you to log in, you can sign out of your Microsoft account in Excel. Go to File > Account, and sign out. This may allow you to open Excel without a login prompt, but you will lose access to some features that require an account.
    4. Check for updates: Ensure that your version of Excel is up to date, as updates may include improvements related to account management and sign-in processes.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider checking the Microsoft support documentation or community forums for further assistance specific to your version of Excel and operating system.

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  2. Tammy-Ng 5,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-12-11T06:25:14.7666667+00:00

    Dear Kathy Anderson

    Welcome and thank you for sharing your problem in our Q&A forum!

    I understand that being constantly prompted to log in every time you access Excel on your Mac is frustrating.

    According to my research, macOS stores Office passwords in the Keychain Access application. If this stored information is corrupted or outdated, Office will constantly prompt you to re-authenticate. Outdated application files can also be a factor.

    Please try the following troubleshooting steps:

    1.Delete the stored login information in Keychain Access: This forces Office to retrieve a new, uncorrupted login code.

    A. Close all Office applications (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.).

    B. Open Keychain Access:

    • Go to Applications >> Utilities >> Keychain Access.

    C. Search and Delete Items: Use the search bar in Keychain Access to search for:

    • Office
    • Microsoft

    D. Delete any items related to Office login information, specifically those named:

    • Microsoft Office Identity Settings
    • Microsoft Office Identity Cache

    E. Relaunch Excel and sign in once.

    2.If clearing the Keychain is not sufficient, you can use the Terminal to manually reset the authentication state for Office apps.

    • Open Terminal and run this command: defaults write com.microsoft.Word ResetOneAuthCreds -bool YES
    • You can replace "Word" with any other name, such as Excel, PowerPoint...

    3.Ensure "Keep Sign-in" is selected When you sign in again after deleting the Keychain, be sure to save your login information.

    • Open any Office application (e.g., Excel).
    • When prompted to sign in, enter your Microsoft Business account email and password.
    • Note: The sign-in process for Microsoft 365 apps uses a web-based authentication window. When the prompt "Stay signed in?" appears during this web-based flow, be sure to select Yes.
    • Wait for the authentication process to complete.

    4.Check for Updates: Make sure your application is running the latest version, as this often contains important patches for login errors.

    • In Excel, go to the Help menu > Check for Updates to ensure Office is the latest version.

    5.Verify Your License Confirm that you are logging in with a valid and active business account with a valid license.

    Please try these steps and let me know the results. Please share any details or error messages if the problem persists, I'm happy to help!


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