Microsoft Planner Keeps Restarting: How to Stop the Loop

If Microsoft Planner keeps closing and reopening, the problem is usually a bad Microsoft 365 sign-in session, browser cache, an extension conflict, or a broken Planner session in Teams or the desktop app. The safest first fixes are to sign out and back in, try a private window, and clear only the Microsoft 365 site data if the loop keeps going. Your tasks are usually still there; the issue is more often with how Planner is loading than with Planner data itself.

What the restarting loop usually looks like

The symptom is usually obvious: Planner loads for a moment, then closes, reloads, or sends you back to sign-in before you can do anything. Some people see the page flicker and relaunch over and over. Others can open Planner, but the moment they click a plan or task, it spins back to the start. You may also see it happen right after Microsoft 365 asks you to sign in again, which points to an account-session problem rather than a bad task or plan.

If you can stay in Planner long enough to read your tasks, but it restarts when you switch views or open it from Teams, the issue is usually in the app shell around Planner, not the data inside it. That helps narrow the fix to the place where the loop starts.

Before you start

This applies to Microsoft Planner in a browser, inside Microsoft Teams, and in the desktop app or app-like window. The steps below are safe for work and school Microsoft 365 accounts and do not require administrator rights in most cases.

You do not need admin privileges to try the first fixes. You may need admin help only if your organization locks down browser settings, Teams cache, or sign-in policies.

No backup is usually needed, because the first steps do not change your Planner data. Still, if you have unsynced work in a different app or an attached desktop client, finish that first so you do not lose anything while you sign out and back in.

Before changing anything, do two safe checks first:

• Open Planner in a private or InPrivate window.
• Try one other browser, one other device, or both if you have them.

If Planner works in one place but not another, the data is probably fine and the problem is local to that browser, device, or account session.

The quickest fixes to try first

Start with the least risky steps. These usually stop the loop without touching your plans or tasks.

1. Refresh the page or restart the app once. Close Planner completely, then open it again from Microsoft 365 or Teams.
2. Sign out of Microsoft 365, then sign back in. Use the Microsoft account or work account sign-out option in the browser, Teams, or app where Planner is restarting. Then sign in again and reopen Planner.
3. Try a private or InPrivate window. Open Planner there with your normal work account. A private window starts with a clean session and no stored site data.

If Planner works in a private window, your plan data is usually fine. The problem is more likely cached browser data or an extension.

4. Clear site data for Microsoft 365 if the loop still happens. Do this only for the Microsoft 365 and Planner sites first, not for your whole browser profile. That keeps the fix narrow and lowers the chance of losing useful saved browsing data.

Browser settings > Privacy / Site data / Cookies and site permissions > Search for Microsoft or Office sites > Remove site data

If Planner stops restarting after one of these steps, the issue was probably a bad session or cache entry. If it still loops after a clean sign-in and a private window, move on to the deeper causes.

If it still restarts, check for the real cause

At this point, you are looking for a local conflict or a service problem rather than a simple sign-in glitch.

First, test browser extensions. Ad blockers, script blockers, password managers, and privacy tools can interfere with Microsoft sign-in or page loading. Turn extensions off for a test, then reopen Planner. If it stops restarting, turn the extensions back on one by one until the loop returns. The last one you enabled is the likely cause.

Second, compare one browser against another. If Planner restarts in Chrome but works in Edge, or the reverse, that points to browser-specific cache or extension trouble. If it fails in every browser on one computer but works on another device, the machine itself is the problem, not your account.

Third, check whether the issue follows your account. Ask a colleague to open Planner on the same device, or try your account on a different device if your workplace allows it. If only your account loops, the problem may be in your Microsoft 365 sign-in state, conditional access, or a token that needs to expire and be refreshed.

Finally, check for a Microsoft service outage if several people are seeing the same thing at once. If Planner is failing for many users, local fixes may not help until Microsoft resolves the service issue. In that case, your best move is to wait and try again later, because repeatedly clearing data won’t fix a service-side outage.

If you use Microsoft Teams and Planner only restarts there, Teams cache is a common culprit. A damaged Teams cache can keep reloading tabs and apps, even when Planner itself is fine in the browser. If your organization supports it, clearing Teams cache or fully quitting and reopening Teams is a sensible next test.

When the problem is only in one place

• One browser: The browser cache, cookies, or extensions are the most likely cause.
• One device: The device or its saved app session is the most likely cause.
• One user account: The Microsoft 365 sign-in state, conditional access, or a saved token is the most likely cause.
• Only Teams: The Teams cache or Teams app session is the most likely cause.

How to make sure Planner is stable again

A fix is only real if Planner stays open long enough for you to use it normally.

Open Planner the same way it was failing before. If it was restarting in a browser tab, reopen that browser and go back to Planner. If it failed inside Teams, test it there again. Stay on the page for a minute or two, then click into a plan, open a task, and switch between views.

Then test one alternate route. Use another supported browser, or another device if you have one. If Planner works in both places, the restart loop is gone and the problem was local to the first browser or device.

Also check your plans and tasks. You should see the same plans you had before, and opening a task should not send you back to sign-in. If your tasks appear normal and Planner remains open while you move around, the fix held.

If the loop comes back after you close and reopen the browser or app, the cause is still there. Go back to the step that changed the behavior last, then test the next likely source: extension, cache, Teams, or sign-in state.

How to keep it from coming back

A few habits reduce the chances of getting trapped in the loop again.

• Keep your browser and Teams updated, since older versions can handle Microsoft sign-in badly.
• Limit browser extensions on work sites, especially privacy tools and script blockers.
• Use one preferred browser for Microsoft 365 if your organization allows it, because switching between browsers can create more sign-in churn.
• Clear Microsoft 365 site data only when sign-in or page loading starts acting strange, not on a routine schedule.
• If Planner starts misbehaving after a password change, sign-in policy change, or device update, sign out everywhere you use Microsoft 365 and sign back in cleanly.

If the restarting starts again after these basics, check whether it happens only in one browser, one device, or only with your account. That pattern usually tells you where to look next, and it saves you from wiping settings you did not need to touch.

Conclusion

If Planner still restarts after the basic checks, focus on the pattern: one browser, one device, one account, or one app like Teams. That usually gets you to the real cause faster than guessing. Once you know where the loop lives, the fix is much easier to land.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Microsoft Planner itself broken if it keeps restarting?

Not usually. In many cases the Planner data is fine and the restart loop comes from a sign-in problem, browser cache, extension conflict, Teams cache, or a Microsoft service issue.

Will clearing cache delete my Planner tasks?

No. Clearing browser cache or site data should not delete Planner tasks or plans, but it can sign you out and remove saved site sessions, so you may need to log in again.

Why does Planner work in one browser but not another?

That usually means the problem is local to the failing browser, such as cached Microsoft 365 data, cookies, or an extension. It also helps rule out a Planner-wide outage.