Office for Mac repeatedly requesting keychain access
Desired Outcome
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The keychain access prompt every time you launch any Office application, even though you previously selected Always Allow.
- A prompt to sign in to your Microsoft Account or Office 365 for business account every time you launch any Office application.
- An “Authentication Session Expired” error message after signing in to your Office applications.
Step-by-Step Guide
Troubleshooting steps
- If you see repeated prompts to grant access to the keychain when starting an Office for Mac app, Office may have been moved to a location other than the default /Applications folder.
- When faced with keychain window, make sure to select Always Allow when prompted. You may encounter this dialog up to three times per app.
Note: If you clicked on Deny by accident, follow the instructions below to restore your keychain permissions.
Restore your keychain permissions
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Quit out of all Office for Mac apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
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Search for "keychain" in Spotlight and launch the Keychain Access app.
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Select the login keychain entry in the top left navigator pane, then from the File menu, choose Lock Keychain "login".
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Launch any Office app, such as Word.
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You'll receive a prompt requesting permissions to access the keychain. Enter your Mac admin account password and click OK.
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If prompted, sign in to your account associated with Office.
- Once you have successfully signed in, quit out of the application and open it again. You should be able to open the app without any more prompts.