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How to Clear Teams Cached Credentials on Windows and Mac

Learn how to remove a remembered Teams sign-in on Windows or Mac. The guide distinguishes Teams cache from saved credentials and explains the correct cache steps for New Teams and Classic Teams.
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To clear a remembered Teams sign-in, first sign out and quit Teams, then remove the unwanted account from Windows or its relevant Keychain item on Mac. Clearing the Teams app cache is a separate step, and the correct procedure depends on whether you use New Teams or Classic Teams. Remove only clearly related credentials; broader Microsoft identity cleanup can sign you out of Office, OneDrive, Outlook, and other apps.

A Teams cache reset removes local app data, not your Microsoft account or organization account. Start with the least disruptive steps below, and use advanced identity-folder cleanup only if the old account remains in the Teams picker.

Before you start

  • Identify the account: determine whether it is personal, work or school, a guest account, or an account from another organization. A personal and work account can use the same email address.
  • Save your work: sign-out and reset steps may close Teams and other Microsoft apps.
  • Check device management: an organization may require its work or school account for device access. Ask IT before disconnecting an account or removing identity data on a managed device.
  • Know what each cleanup affects: Teams cache is app data; Credential Manager and Keychain store sign-in-related items; a Windows work or school account is an operating-system association. A remembered account name is not necessarily a saved password.

1. Sign out of Teams and quit it

  1. Open Teams and select your profile picture.
  2. Select Sign out.
  3. Quit Teams completely. On Windows, right-click the Teams icon in the taskbar or notification area and choose Quit. On Mac, press Command + Q or choose Quit from the Dock.
  4. If Teams will not close on Windows, open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select the Teams process, and choose End task.

Signing out removes account-related information from Teams on this device, but does not sign you out on other devices or necessarily remove the account from Windows or other apps. Microsoft documents the Teams sign-out flow and its limits in Sign out or remove an account from Microsoft Teams.

2. Remove the old account from Windows, if it is connected

If the account is a work or school account, disconnecting it may affect other apps that use Windows account sharing. If the device is managed or the removal control is unavailable, contact your administrator before proceeding.

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  1. Open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
  2. Select the obsolete account and choose Disconnect, or open Manage and use the available removal or sign-out control.
  3. For a personal Microsoft account, open Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts, select the account, and choose Remove if available.

Removing an account from the device can affect other apps and services that use it. Microsoft describes this distinction and warns about the broader effect in its account removal guidance.

3. Clear the Teams cache using the procedure for your version

Cache cleanup can repair local app data, but it may not remove an account association or saved sign-in token. Microsoft documents different cache procedures for New Teams and Classic Teams in its Teams cache-clearing guidance.

New Teams on Windows: reset in Settings

  1. Open Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
  2. Search for Microsoft Teams, select the More options (…) button, then choose Advanced options.
  3. Under Reset, select Reset.
  4. Start Teams and sign in again.

Resetting New Teams deletes app data, including personalization settings, so you may need to set preferences again.

New Teams on Windows: delete local cache files

  1. Quit Teams completely.
  2. Open File Explorer and paste this path into the address bar:

%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams

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  1. Delete the contents of that directory, then restart Teams and sign in.

Classic Teams on Windows

  1. Quit Teams completely.
  2. Press Windows key + R, enter the following path, and press Enter:

%appdata%\Microsoft\Teams

  1. Delete the files and folders inside the Teams folder, then restart Teams and sign in.

This is the Classic Teams procedure, not the universal cache path for current Teams.

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Mac: clear the cache for your Teams version

Quit Teams first. Microsoft documents the following Terminal commands for the two Mac versions. The rm -rf command permanently deletes the specified folders: copy and paste the path carefully, and do not broaden it.

For Classic Teams, run:

rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Teams

For New Teams, run:

rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams

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rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2

Restart Teams after clearing the relevant cache and sign in again.

4. Remove only relevant saved credentials

Windows Credential Manager

  1. Search Windows for Credential Manager and open it.
  2. Choose Windows Credentials and review the entries, including Windows or Generic Credentials where shown.
  3. Remove only entries clearly associated with Teams, the old Microsoft 365 organization, the obsolete account, or Microsoft Office authentication.
  4. Restart Teams and sign in with the intended account.

This is a targeted troubleshooting step, not a guaranteed fix. Do not delete every credential: removing Office, OneDrive, Outlook, or organization entries can sign you out of those apps too. Microsoft Q&A discusses related credential cleanup, but it is not a comprehensive official product procedure: Microsoft Q&A credential guidance.

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Mac Keychain Access

  1. Quit Teams.
  2. Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
  3. Search for Teams or Microsoft and identify the item tied to the obsolete account.
  4. Delete only that account-related item, then reopen Teams and sign in.

Do not remove unrelated Microsoft or application items if you are unsure what they are. Microsoft’s Teams account guidance points Mac users to Keychain Access for removing an account from the device.

5. Advanced Windows cleanup if the old account remains in the picker

Use this only after the normal steps fail. The folders below can hold broader Microsoft identity and token data, so cleanup may cause Teams and other Microsoft apps to request sign-in again. On a managed device, ask IT first.

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  1. Quit Teams and other Microsoft 365 apps.
  2. Back up or rename the relevant folders rather than permanently deleting them on the first attempt:
  • %LocalAppData%\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe
  • %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy
  • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\OneAuth
  • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\TokenBroker
  • %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\IdentityCache
  1. Restart Windows, open Teams, and authenticate with the intended account.
  2. Be prepared to sign in again to other Microsoft apps and complete MFA or organization approval.

This is an advanced workaround reported by Microsoft staff in Microsoft Q&A; Microsoft notes there is no formal product document explaining this specific procedure. It is not a routine cache reset. Avoid searching the registry for an email address as a standard troubleshooting step.

Teams for the web

  1. Sign out from the Teams profile menu.
  2. If the old account still loads, sign out of the selected Microsoft account in the browser.
  3. Clear site data for Teams and Microsoft sign-in domains rather than clearing all browser data.
  4. Test Teams in a private or incognito window to see whether the problem is tied to the browser session.

Microsoft suggests the web client as a diagnostic alternative when the desktop client cannot reconnect. See Microsoft’s reconnect troubleshooting.

Check whether the cleanup worked

  1. Restart Teams and confirm it shows the sign-in screen or intended account.
  2. Sign in and verify the correct organization or tenant is selected.
  3. If you use multiple organizations, check Accounts and organizations in Teams.
  4. Test a chat, meeting, or team that previously failed.
  5. If you removed broader identity data, check Outlook, OneDrive, and Office for sign-in prompts.

Local cleanup does not delete your cloud account, remove you from an organization’s Microsoft 365 tenant, or revoke sessions on every device.

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Common problems

The old account still appears after clearing the Teams cache. Why?

The cache and account identity are separate layers. Check whether the account is connected under Windows Access work or school or Email & accounts, then review only relevant Credential Manager entries. Reinstalling Teams may not remove account information stored by Windows or Microsoft identity components.

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Teams works in a browser but not in the desktop app. What should I try?

That can point to desktop app data or credentials. Follow the cache steps for your Teams version, then review relevant Windows credentials or the Mac Keychain item. A private browser window can help distinguish a browser-session issue from a desktop issue.

What if the password prompt keeps looping?

Sign out, quit Teams, and clear the appropriate Teams cache. If the loop continues, review targeted credentials and test web Teams. If your organization uses conditional access or the device is managed, contact IT rather than removing broader identity data without approval.

Will clearing Teams credentials sign me out everywhere?

Signing out of Teams affects the local client, not Teams on every device. Removing Windows account associations or broader Microsoft identity data can affect other apps on the same device, which may request sign-in again.

Does removing a local account delete it from the organization?

No. These steps remove local account associations, cache, or sign-in data from a device. They do not delete the cloud account or remove the user from the organization’s Microsoft 365 tenant.

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FAQs

Is Teams cache the same as cached credentials?

No. The cache is local Teams app data; saved credentials, Windows account associations, Keychain items, and Microsoft identity tokens are separate. Clearing one layer may not remove a remembered account held by another.

Should I delete every Microsoft entry in Credential Manager or Keychain?

No. Remove only entries clearly tied to the obsolete Teams account or organization. Broader deletion can affect Office, OneDrive, Outlook, or other Microsoft apps.

Should I uninstall and reinstall Teams?

Not as the first step. Reinstalling may not remove a stale account stored by Windows account services, Credential Manager, or Microsoft identity components. Sign out, remove the relevant account association, and clear the correct version’s cache first.

What if my employer or school blocks account removal?

Contact the organization’s IT administrator. The account may be required for device registration, compliance, conditional access, or single sign-on.

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