Office Error CAA50021, Number of retry attempts exceeds expectations

Microsoft offers its users several applications, including Microsoft Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, etc., all of which fall under the Office 365 app umbrella. Organizations mostly use these applications for better management of their resources. Recently, there have been several complaints regarding Microsoft Teams users having trouble getting back into their accounts. Every time they click the login button, they receive the error number CAA50021, and if they click it repeatedly, they receive the message “Number of retry attempts exceeds expectations.”

What does error code CAA50021 mean?

Error code CAA50021 occurs when you try to login in unsuccessfully many times. It occurs on Office 365 desktop applications like Outlook, OneDrive, Excel, etc. if the device has issues with Azure AD, your security software is blocking the login, or if your device has been unlinked from your work or school account.

How to Fix Office Error CAA50021

The CAA50021 error is a frequent issue with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and other Office applications. If you experience the issue, below are the best ways to fix it:

1. Re-register the device having the issue with Azure AD
2. Link the device to your work or school account
3. Delete your MS Teams credentials
4. Temporarily disable Antivirus
5. Check for Office Updates
6. Contact your IT Admin

1] Re-register the device having the issue with Azure AD

Most people that have faced this error were able to fix it by simply re-registering their device with Azure AD. This is because your device registration may have expired and needs to be done again. Meanwhile, this solution can only be done if you are an Admin. Here is how to unregister and re-register a device with Azure AD:

• Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
• Type cmd in the box and hit Enter.
• On the Command Prompt window, type dsregcmd /leave and press Enter.

• Delete the MS-Organization-Access and MS-Organization-P2P-Access entries from the certificate store.
• Type dsregcmd /status in the Command Prompt and hit Enter.
• Now set the AzureAdJoined to NO.

The process will unregister your device with Azure, and you can re-register it by following the steps below:

• Type Task Scheduler in the Windows Search box and launch it.
• Click the Task Scheduler Library and select Microsoft.
• Select the Windows option and tap on Workplace Join under it.

• Now, launch the Automatic-Device-Join task.

2] Link the device to your work or school account

It’s possible that your device is not properly connected with the Azure AD, hence, you should check Windows settings and link the device.

• Press Windows + I to open Settings on your computer.
• Select Accounts on the left pane and tap on Access work or school on the resulting page.
• Click on Connect in front of Add a work or school account and follow other on-screen prompts to connect your device with Azure.

3] Delete your MS Teams credentials

Another thing you can do if you are experiencing this issue with MS Teams is you should delete the MS Teams credentials on the Windows Credential Manager. After that, you should restart your computer, and hopefully, the issue should have gone.

4] Temporarily disable Antivirus

Antivirus and some other background processes like it on the computer may be conflicting or causing the issue with MS Teams and other Office 365 apps. As a result, we recommend that you disable Antivirus on the computer.

5] Check for Office Updates

The Office app giving you this error may be outdated and, as a result, start to malfunction. Updating them can help fix the CAA50021 error, so we recommend you check for Office updates and install them if there are any.

6] Contact your IT Admin

If none of the solutions above has worked and you don’t have admin access, you should report the issue to your IT Admin. This is because the issue may be due to something done at the Admin’s and can only be resolved by them.

We’ve seen cases when this issue started when Admin started using the Multi-Factor Authentication system. In that scenario, excluding the users facing the issue from the Multi-Factor Authentication system can be a reasonable course of action.

Read: Fix Office Error Code 30010-4 during Installation or Upgrade

How do I fix Teams error code CAA50021?

To fix Teams Error Code CAA50021, you can use the solutions mentioned above in this post. You could temporarily disable your antivirus software, re-register your device with Azure, link your device to the work/school account or remove and then enter the Microsoft Teams credentials.

 What is error code 50021 on authenticator?

Error code 50021 on the authenticator indicates a failed authentication attempt during MFA. This may occur due to configuration or service issues. If you face this error, check your settings and ensure the proper functioning of the authentication service.

How do I register a device in Azure AD?

If you want to register a device in Azure AD, follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings on your computer.
2. Select Accounts and click on Access Work or School.
3. Tap on Connect in front of Add a work or school account
4. On the resulting page, select Join this device to Azure Active Directory and follow the on-screen prompts to sign in.

Read: Word, Excel, PowerPoint has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly

How to resolve error code CAA50021?

The majority of the time, a conflict with your account’s login credentials might cause the CAA50021 error on Microsoft Teams or other Office 365 apps. Another potential cause of this issue is that your account may be affected by an outdated app or process. If those two scenarios are ruled out, the error might originate from your IT admin’s end, and in this article, we’ve discussed several methods you can use to fix the problem.

Read: Error AADSTS90100, Login Parameter is empty or not valid.