Microsoft 365 (Retirees) – Office Options on a Personal Computer

If Office stopped working on a personal computer after retirement, or if a newly purchased personal Microsoft 365 subscription is asking for a "PIN" that won't accept the expected password, the cause is usually the same. The computer is still tied to the SIUE work account from before retirement, and the steps below walk through getting Office working again on a personal device.

SIUE provides a Microsoft 365 license to current employees and students. At retirement, the license changes from A5 (full desktop suite) to A1 (web-only, with reduced storage).

For a complete overview of changes to email, OneDrive, shared drives, SharePoint, and Adobe at retirement, see Microsoft 365 (Retirees and Emeritus Faculty) - Technology Access Changes After Retirement

What Changes When You Retire

The SIUE-provided Microsoft 365 license is tied to active employment. After the retirement date:

• If desktop Office apps were installed on a personal computer using the SIUE license, those apps will eventually display a notice that the license is no longer valid.
• Files saved to SIUE OneDrive remain accessible through the SIUE account, with storage reduced to 1TB. The SIUE mailbox remains accessible with storage reduced to 50GB.
• The SIUE E-ID can still be used to access Microsoft services, but only through the web versions of the applications.

To continue using Office on a personal device, choose one of the options below.

Option 1: Use the Web Apps (No Transition Needed)

If web access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is enough, no transition is needed. The web versions cover most everyday editing tasks and remain available with the SIUE E-ID after retirement.

1. Open a web browser, such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
2. Go to https://office365.siue.edu/.
3. Select Sign in.
4. Sign in with the SIUE email and password.
5. Select Word, Excel, or PowerPoint from the app launcher.

Files can be saved to OneDrive or downloaded to the computer. For details on saving and downloading files in the web apps, see Microsoft 365 (Retiree Access) - Transitioning to Online Applications.

Option 2: Personal Microsoft 365 Subscription

A paid personal subscription provides the full desktop versions of Office along with additional OneDrive storage. Microsoft offers individual and family plans directly at https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365.

Important: Use a Non-SIUE Email Address

When creating a personal Microsoft account for the new subscription, do not use the SIUE email address as the sign-in. Reusing the same email address for both a former work account and a new personal account causes ongoing sign-in conflicts, even after the SIUE account is no longer active.

Use one of the following instead:

• An existing personal email address, such as Gmail or Yahoo.
• A new free Outlook.com address created during sign-up.

Troubleshooting: A "PIN" Prompt Appears and Won't Accept the Personal Account

This is a common issue retirees encounter when setting up a personal subscription. It can feel like the new subscription isn't working. In most cases, what's actually happening is that the computer is still connected to SIUE's Microsoft 365 environment and is asking for the SIUE account PIN, not the personal account password.

PIN (Windows Hello): A short numeric or alphanumeric sign-in code tied to a specific device and account. A separate PIN can exist for each account on the same computer, which is why a personal account password may not satisfy a PIN prompt that was set up for the SIUE account.

Access work or school: A Windows feature that links a computer to a workplace's Microsoft account. Once connected, Windows treats that workplace account as the primary identity for sign-in, Office activation, and PIN prompts.

Before Continuing: Check BitLocker

If the personal computer uses BitLocker drive encryption, the recovery key may have been saved to either a personal Microsoft account or the SIUE Microsoft account, depending on which account was signed in when BitLocker was set up. Removing the SIUE connection can make the recovery key harder to retrieve later if it's needed after a hardware change or firmware update.

Before continuing, save the BitLocker recovery key to a safe location outside the computer:

1. Click the Start button.
2. Type BitLocker.
3. Select Manage BitLocker from the search results.
4. Find the drive where BitLocker is turned on (usually the C: drive).
5. Click Back up your recovery key next to that drive.
6. Choose one of the save options described below.
7. Follow any remaining on-screen prompts to finish the backup.

Save options:

• Save to a USB flash drive. Store the drive somewhere safe afterward.
• Save to a file. The file cannot be saved to the encrypted drive itself, so pick a USB drive, an external drive, or another computer's storage. Move the file to a permanent safe location after saving.
• Print the recovery key. Keep the printed copy somewhere safe at home.
• Save to your Microsoft account. After saving, sign in to https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey with the personal Microsoft account and confirm the key is listed there. If it isn't, save it again using one of the other options.

Step 1: Remove the SIUE Account from Windows

1. Click the Start button.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Accounts.
4. Select Access work or school.
5. Select the SIUE account in the list.
6. Click Disconnect.
7. Confirm the disconnection when prompted.

Step 2: Clear Cached SIUE Credentials

1. Open Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Open Credential Manager.
3. Select Windows Credentials.
4. Locate any entries containing MicrosoftOffice16_Data or referencing siue.edu.
5. Select an entry.
6. Click Remove.
7. Repeat for any remaining SIUE-related entries.

Step 3: Sign Out of Office

1. Open any Office app, such as Word or Excel.
2. Click File.
3. Select Account.
4. Click Sign out.
5. Close all Office apps.

In newer versions of Microsoft 365 apps, the account area is reached through the profile picture instead:

1. In the top-right corner of the Office app window, click the profile picture or person icon.
2. Click Sign out.

Step 4: Sign In with the Personal Microsoft Account

1. Open any Office app.
2. Click Sign in.
3. Enter the personal Microsoft account email address.
4. Enter the personal account password.
5. Complete any verification steps prompted by Microsoft.

The Office apps should now activate using the personal subscription, and the PIN prompt tied to the SIUE account should no longer appear. Activation can take a minute, and in some cases the Office app needs to be closed and reopened before the change takes effect.

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