Windows uses cached credentials in some Microsoft products such as Office to authenticate the user or machine while saving or downloading files. Under certain circumstances, such as expired login, corrupted cache, etc., you might see cached credentials have expired error which stops you from saving or downloading files. Even after you enter the login credentials, the error persists. To fix the cached credentials error, you have to remove expired credentials from the Credential Manager and clear the cache.
The good thing is, it is pretty easy to fix the error. Follow the steps outlined below.
Fix cached credentials have expired error
To fix the cached credentials error, follow the steps outlined below one after another.
- Remove expired credentials from Credential Manager
- Clear Microsoft Teams cache
- Sync Windows clock
- Re-login to your OneDrive account
Let’s see each step in detail.
1. Remove expired credentials from Credential Manager
Windows saves your login details to the Credential Manager so that you don’t have to type them each and every time. As part of the best security practices, these login details will be expired after some time. In those cases, you will encounter the expired cached credentials error. Removing the expired credentials will stop the error from reappearing. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Open Windows Credential Manager.
Press the Windows key on your keyboard to launch the Start menu. Next, type Credential Manager and left-click on the top result. This will open the Credential Manager window.
Step 2: Remove Office credentials from the Credential Manager.
Once the Credential Manager window opens, go to the Windows Credentials tab. Next, find and click on the Office login details. Click on the “Remove” link. Press the “Yes” button in the confirmation window. You can remove all the login credentials under the Generic Credentials section.
Step 3: Re-open Office applications and log in again.
After removing the corrupted or expired login details, close and reopen the office application and log in again.
Once you are logged in successfully, you should no longer see the cached credentials error.
2. Clear Microsoft Teams cache
Some users have complained and confirmed that the corrupted Teams cache is causing the cached credentials error on Windows. So, if you are using Microsoft Teams, you must clear Teams cache after removing credentials from Windows Credential Manager. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Close the Microsoft Teams application.
If the Microsoft Teams application is open, close it. Next, find the Teams icon on the taskbar, right-click on it, and choose the “Exit/Quit” option. This will completely close the application and stops it from running in the background.
Step 2: Open the Microsoft Teams cache folder.
Next, launch the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut. You can also search for Run in the Start menu. Type “%appdata%\Microsoft\Teams” in the Run window and press the “Ok” button. This will open the Microsoft Teams cache folder in File Explorer.
Step 3: Delete all the files and folders in the Teams cache folder.
Select all the files and folders by pressing the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut in the Teams cache folder. Next, press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete them.
Once the Teams cache files are deleted, the cached credentials have expired error will not reappear.
3. Sync Windows clock
An out-of-sync clock is one of the common causes of network connectivity and login issues, including the expired cached credentials error. When the system clock on your computer is incorrect, it can cause synchronization problems with network services, leading to authentication failures. To fix this issue, you can force sync time and correct the wrong clock in Windows.
4. Re-login to your OneDrive account
If you are using Microsoft Office 365 or OneDrive to sync files, you should sign out and sign into your OneDrive account. This clears the cached credentials and fixes the error.
Step 1: Open OneDrive settings.
Right-click on the OneDrive icon on the taskbar and click on the Settings option. This will open the OneDrive settings window. If you cannot see the OneDrive icon on the taskbar, launch the application from the Start menu.
Step 2: Sign out of the OneDrive app on Windows.
Once the OneDrive settings window opens, navigate to the Account tab and click on the “Unlink this PC” option. Press the Unlink account button in the Unlink account on this PC? confirmation window.
Step 3: Restart the computer and log back into OneDrive.
Now, restart your computer. For that, right-click on the taskbar’s start icon and choose the Shut down or sign out > Restart option. After restarting, open the OneDrive application by searching for it in the Start menu and log in.
After login, the cached credentials have expired, please sign in error message will not appear.
I hope this simple guide helped you fix the problem you are facing.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
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