Dealing with that “Something went wrong.[1001]” error in Microsoft 365? Yeah, it can be pretty frustrating, especially if it pops up repeatedly. It’s usually tied to issues with the user profile, like corruption or bad configs, but sometimes conflicts with MFA setups or VDI environments are at play. Also, if you’ve got Trend Micro antivirus or similar security tools, they might be inadvertently blocking or messing with the AAD Broker Plugin. It’s like Windows has to make everything harder than it needs to be, but don’t worry, these methods are known to clear up the trouble in most cases. Just follow along and see which one sticks.
How to Fix the “Something went wrong.[1001]” Error in Microsoft 365
Method 1: Add Scan Exclusion in Trend Micro Antivirus (if it’s installed)
Trend Micro can sometimes interfere with the AAD Broker Plugin, which is essential for signing in to Microsoft 365. If the antivirus scans or blocks this component, errors like 1001 start happening. Adding it to the exclusion list usually does the trick, because it prevents the antivirus from bothering the plugin during sign-in.
- Open Trend Micro Antivirus from the system tray (click its icon).
- Click the gear icon or go into Settings.
- Select Exception Lists from the sidebar and hit Add.
- Click Browse… and navigate to this path — make sure to swap out Username for your actual user account:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft. AAD. BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\ - Select the folder, click OK. That’s it—you’re telling Trend Micro to chill out about this directory.
Sometimes, just doing this helps the plugin work smoothly again. On some setups, it might need a reboot to really take effect, but it’s worth a shot because it’s quick and painless.
Method 2: Recreate the User Profile
If your user profile has become corrupt or messed up over time, Microsoft 365 might throw errors at you. Creating a new profile basically resets all the user-specific stuff, giving Microsoft 365 a fresh slate to work with. It’s kinda like hitting the reset button on your profile without reinstalling everything.
- Head into Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
- Under Other users, click Add someone else to this PC.
- Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
- Pick Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Fill out a username, set a password, then click Next.
Log into this new account, then try signing into Microsoft 365 again. Sometimes, a fresh profile just pulls the plug on the whole error. Not sure why it works, but it does — at least on a few setups I’ve seen.
Method 3: Clear OneAuth and IdentityCache Folders
This one’s kinda sneaky, but if your sign-in tokens or auth data are hosed, clearing out these folders gets rid of bad data and forces Microsoft 365 to generate new ones. It’s like clearing your cache on a browser, but for your authentication stuff.
- Close all Microsoft 365 applications first — can’t do this with apps open, obviously.
- Hit Windows + R to bring up Run.
- Type
%localappdata%and hit Enter. - Navigate to the Microsoft folder.
- Look for the OneAuth and IdentityCache folders.
- Right-click each and select Cut.
- Paste them onto your Desktop (so you can restore if needed).
- Reboot the PC — not sure why, but this seems to force Windows and Microsoft 365 to rebuild those caches from scratch.
Revisit Microsoft 365 and see if you get past the error this time. Works on some machines, not always on others, but it’s worth a shot because it’s quick and free.
Method 4: Open Microsoft 365 in Safe Mode
Sometimes, third-party add-ins or corrupted settings make it impossible for apps to authenticate. Opening in Safe Mode disables all extras and only loads the core components. If it works in Safe Mode, then you know some external plugin or add-in is causing trouble. Easy to test this way.
- Close all Microsoft 365 apps.
- Press Windows + R to open Run.
- Run the command matching the app, like:
winword /safe(Word)excel /safe(Excel)outlook /safe(Outlook)powerpnt /safe(PowerPoint)onenote /safe(OneNote)- If prompted, click OK to confirm Safe Mode.
- Log in, see if the authentication works—if it does, then something in the normal mode is fouling things up. Restart normally and see if it’s better.
Some people swear that launching in Safe Mode temporarily wipes out problematic add-ins, fixing sign-in headaches. Because, of course, Windows has to make it that complicated.
These attempts tend to cover most common causes for that pesky error, so give them a shot. If they help, it’s a big win, and you can get back to work. If not, then more advanced troubleshooting might be needed, but hey, this is a good start.
Summary
- Exclude AAD Broker folder from antivirus scans
- Create a new user profile and try signing in again
- Clear sign-in caches like OneAuth and IdentityCache folders
- Launch Microsoft 365 in Safe Mode to isolate add-in conflicts
Wrap-up
Most of the time, one of these tricks will get past the error. Not always, but it’s better than banging your head against the wall. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of clearing out old data or telling your antivirus to back off a little. Fingers crossed this helps someone save a few hours or avoid a call to support. Good luck, and don’t forget to back up your important stuff before messing around too much!