4 Fixes When You Can’t Sign into OneDrive on Android

Quick Tips

• Ensure you’re using the right login information (email and password) for your account.
• Use the official OneDrive app, rather than trying to sign in via a browser or third-party app.
• Check you’ve got the latest version of OneDrive and not an outdated app.

Fix 1: Verify Your Internet Connection

If you’re wondering “Why can’t I sign into my OneDrive account on Android?” it could be something as simple as a connection problem. If your phone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, or if there’s some sort of issue or interference with the connection, OneDrive may fail to work as intended.

Here’s how to double-check your Wi-Fi connection.

Step 1: Swipe down from the top of your phone’s screen to access the “Quick Settings” menu.

Step 2: Check that the Wi-Fi symbol is illuminated and that you have an active connection.

Step 3: If the symbol is grey, tap to activate Wi-Fi, connect to a network, and then try OneDrive once more.

Here’s what to do if you’re trying to access OneDrive on mobile data.

Step 1: Swipe down from the top of the screen to access “Quick Settings.”

Step 2: Check whether your mobile data is active.

Step 3: If it’s not, tap the data button to activate it, then try loading OneDrive again.

If you’re on a limited data plan, there’s a possibility that you may have hit your limit, which could prevent you from loading up any data-intensive apps, including OneDrive. Try accessing the app on Wi-Fi whenever possible.

Fix 2: Temporarily Disable Your VPN

If you’re a VPN (Virtual Private Network) user and can’t sign in to OneDrive account on Android phone, the VPN might be the culprit. VPNs work by encrypting your connections, which helps with privacy and security but can also interfere with how certain web and mobile apps function.

Step 1: Open your VPN app (this applies to all popular VPNs, like NordVPN and ExpressVPN).

Step 2: Find and tap the button to pause or disable your VPN connection temporarily.

Step 3: Try logging into OneDrive.

If this works, it means that the VPN connection was almost definitely the cause of the OneDrive Android login problems. In the future, you’ll most likely have to disable your VPN when accessing OneDrive. Alternatively, try connecting to a different VPN server or using a different VPN security protocol to see if it works with the OneDrive app.

Fix 3: Uninstall and Reinstall the OneDrive App

Sometimes, apps just bug or glitch and fail to work the way they should, through no fault of the user. In those situations, often the best method is a clean and fresh reinstallation, which may wipe out the issue in no time.

This process can vary slightly from phone to phone, depending on the interface and Android version.

Step 1: Access your phone’s “Settings” menu.

Step 2: Find and select “Apps” or “Applications.”

Step 3: Search for OneDrive in your list of apps and select it.

Step 4: Tap on the “Force Stop” button to stop OneDrive from running.

Step 5: Scroll up the “App Info” page and tap “Storage.

Step 6: Hit both the “Clear Data” and “Clear Cache” buttons at the bottom of the screen to get rid of any cached files that may have corrupted OneDrive.

If you have a Samsung device, Step 6 is as far as you can go with this method. Samsung has linked OneDrive to its Samsung Cloud service, with the latter being disabled in favor of the former, so you can’t uninstall OneDrive from Samsung devices. The combination of “Force Stop” and cache clearing may be enough to solve the issue, so attempt to sign back into OneDrive after completing Step 6.

For non-Samsung Android phones, you can move onto the final steps for uninstalling and reinstalling OneDrive.

Step 7: Return to your app list.

Step 8: Press and hold the “OneDrive” icon and select “Uninstall” from the resulting menu.

Step 9: Back on the home screen, head to the “Google Play Store” and search for the OneDrive app.

Step 10: Tap to install it, and wait for the installation to finish.

Step 11: Open the OneDrive app, log in with your account details, and check to see if it’s working.

Fix 4: Try Another Device if You Can’t Sign into OneDrive on Android

Checking your OneDrive access on another device won’t necessarily fix the issue with your phone. But it can tell you whether there’s an issue with your account or if the problem is actually related to your specific Android device.

If you can get into your OneDrive account on another device, that usually suggests your account is fine but your phone has a problem. It may need a firmware update, or you may need to clear the cache or reinstall the OneDrive app, as explained above.

If, however, you can’t login to OneDrive app on Android or on any other device, that more than likely means that there’s an issue with your account. You may need to reset your password, or, if you’re on a work or school account, contact your IT team.