How to Fix Forza Horizon 6 “Sign In Required: You May Not Proceed Without Being Signed In to a Profile” Error on PC?
The Sign In Required warning appears only after Forza Horizon 6 itself has opened. FH6 then blocks Start Game with You may not proceed without being signed in to a profile because it did not receive a usable Xbox profile.
Steam can therefore launch the game normally, and the Microsoft page can report a successful login, while FH6 still returns to the same warning.
The Steam edition also needs a Microsoft account with an Xbox profile. On Windows, Xbox identity components and Gaming Services must deliver that profile to the game.
The point where sign-in stops is the most useful clue:
| What FH6 does | What to check first |
|---|---|
| No Xbox sign-in window appears, the wrong gamertag appears, or the window is cropped | Complete or correct the profile link in Method 1 |
| The Microsoft login succeeds, but FH6 returns to the same warning | Replace the saved Xbox credentials in Method 2 |
| The Xbox app, Microsoft Store, or Gaming Services also fails | Repair the Windows Xbox components in Method 3 |
1. Verify the Xbox Profile and Complete the Steam Link
Owning FH6 on Steam does not create an Xbox profile automatically. The Microsoft account used in the game must have a gamertag, and Steam must be linked to that profile.
For an Xbox app installation, Microsoft Store must also use an account that owns the game or supplies its PC Game Pass entitlement.
Use this only when the sign-in window never finishes, FH6 shows the wrong gamertag, or this is the first launch on the PC. If the correct gamertag already appears before the warning, leave the account link alone.
- Close FH6. Open the Xbox app and confirm that it shows the intended gamertag. Press Windows + G and check the profile in Xbox Game Bar as well.
- If there is no gamertag, finish the profile at Xbox.com. For a Store copy, confirm that Microsoft Store uses the purchasing or subscribing account. Different Store and Xbox accounts are valid only when intentional.
Mixed Microsoft identities can leave FH6 unable to finish the profile sign-in even though the game itself launches normally. - For the Steam edition, reopen FH6 and stay on the Start Game screen. If the wrong Xbox profile is attached, choose Sign Out at the bottom and confirm the restart.
If the wrong Microsoft account was linked once FH6 may keep trying that same profile until you explicitly sign it out. - Select Sign in and enter the Microsoft account for the required Xbox profile. When Steam Overlay displays both identities, verify them and select Yes, Link Accounts.
- If the Microsoft window is cropped, press Tab and then Space once to activate the hidden button. If that does not expose the controls, put FH6 in windowed mode or use Ctrl + mouse wheel to change the dialog zoom.
Forza Support specifically recommends using Tab and Space if the Steam sign-in window is cropped and the normal button area is hidden.
Forza’s developer-posted Steam sign-in guide confirms the profile requirement and these controls.
Xbox also documents its Steam account-linking route.
If FH6 now shows the correct gamertag and opens past Start Game, stop here. If the web login succeeds but the same warning returns, continue below and replace Windows’ saved Xbox login.
2. Clear the Saved Xbox Login FH6 Keeps Reusing
Forza’s PC guidance names this profile-login error and tells players to remove saved credentials beginning with Xbl. This works because Windows reuses those credentials after the visible login. An account switch, password change, or interrupted link can leave the stored token stale.
- Close FH6, Steam, Xbox Game Bar, the Xbox app, and Microsoft Store.
- Search Windows for Credential Manager, open it, and select Windows Credentials.
- Under Generic Credentials, expand and remove every entry whose name begins with Xbl, such as Xbl|DeviceKey.
Stale Xbl credentials are one of Forza’s own first fixes for the FH6 profile-login error on PC. - Restart Windows. Open the Xbox app, sign in with the intended gamertag, leave the app open for this test, and launch FH6 again.
If the same loop remains on this PC, refresh the Xbox Identity Provider cache once. This is a broader local reset than the official Xbl step, so keep it reversible:
- Close the Xbox app, Game Bar, Microsoft Store, Steam, and FH6 again.
- Press Windows + R, enter
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages, and press Enter. - Open the folder whose name begins with Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider. If it is absent, skip this reset rather than creating it.
- Rename its AC folder to AC.old. If Windows says the folder is in use, restart and repeat the step before opening any Xbox app.
A broken Xbox Identity Provider cache can block the FH6 profile handshake even after the visible Microsoft login looks successful. - Restart Windows, sign into the Xbox app again, and test FH6. Keep AC.old until the game has opened normally; it can be restored if the result does not change.
Checkpoint: If FH6 opens past Start Game, the saved Windows identity state caused the loop. If the same warning returns or the Xbox app cannot rebuild its session, continue below and repair the supporting components instead of reinstalling FH6.
3. Update and Repair Gaming Services, the Xbox App, and Microsoft Store
FH6 depends on Windows Gaming Services even when the game was purchased through Steam. Forza requires the current release. Players with this exact warning have also recovered by running Microsoft’s repair tool, restarting Windows, and signing into the Xbox app before launching FH6.
Work through this section only as far as needed. A healthy Microsoft Store does not need to be reset merely because FH6 rejected one profile.
- Open Microsoft Store > Downloads, select Check for updates, and install offered updates for Gaming Services, Xbox, Xbox Identity Provider, Microsoft Store, and FH6.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Gaming Services > Advanced options. Compare its version with the current minimum on Forza Support’s FH6 requirement page, not an older article.
- If Gaming Services is current but sign-in still fails, run the official Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC. Restart Windows, sign into Xbox, keep the app open, and test FH6.
- If the repair reports a service problem, press Windows + R, enter
services.msc, and find Xbox Live Auth Manager, Xbox Live Game Save, and Xbox Live Networking Service. Manual or Manual (Trigger Start) is normal. - Start or restart a listed service only if it is stopped and Windows offers that command. Do not force every Xbox service to Automatic.
FH6 depends on these Windows Xbox services to complete the profile sign-in path after the Microsoft account credentials are accepted. - If the Xbox app does not keep the profile signed in, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Xbox > Advanced options and select Repair. Use Reset only if Repair fails. Reset clears local app data and requires another sign-in.
If Xbox or Microsoft Store authentication state is corrupted FH6 can keep rejecting the profile until those apps are repaired or reset. - Repair Microsoft Store only if Store sign-in or component updates are also failing. If its cache still behaves incorrectly, press Windows + R, enter
wsreset.exe, and wait for the blank window to close and Store to reopen.
Microsoft’s Store troubleshooting still uses wsreset when the local Store state may be blocking downloads updates or authentication handoffs. - Install pending Windows Update items, restart the PC completely, open the Xbox app, and test FH6 once more.
FH6 requires current Gaming Services on PC, so stale Xbox runtime components can keep the profile login from completing cleanly.
Microsoft’s Windows app-repair guide explains Repair and Reset.
On a work or school PC, stop if policy blocks Store updates or service controls. Ask the administrator to update Gaming Services.
Checkpoint: If FH6 loads the gamertag after the update, repair, or reboot, the Windows Xbox components caused the failure. If the exact warning remains while every component works, continue below and compare the profile on another device.
Repair and updates need no rollback. A Reset has no one-click rollback; sign back into the app and reapply any local preferences.
If the Xbox app shows 0x80070426, use the Appuals 0x80070426 repair guide.
If Gaming Services will not install and shows 0x80073D26, use the Gaming Services installation guide. Repeating FH6 account links will not repair either component error.
4. Test the Profile Elsewhere, Then Contact the Right Support Team
Use this only after the correct gamertag works in the Xbox app, Gaming Services is current, and fresh Xbl credentials still fail. Reinstalling FH6 is low value at that point.
Testing the same profile elsewhere separates an account failure from a problem limited to FH6 or one device, so the report reaches the team that can inspect it.
- Confirm the same Microsoft account opens normally at Xbox.com and shows the expected gamertag.
- Record whether FH6 is the Steam or Xbox app edition, whether the Microsoft page reported a successful login, whether the Xbox app works, and whether the error occurs before or after the correct gamertag appears.
- If Xbox.com or the Xbox app cannot load the profile, contact Xbox Support. If only FH6 rejects it, submit a Forza Support ticket with those details and a screenshot.
- On SteamOS or Steam Deck, report that the Microsoft login succeeds but Xbox profile loading fails under SteamOS. Windows Credential Manager, Microsoft Store, and Gaming Services steps do not exist there, so applying Windows fixes through Proton is not an equivalent test.
Checkpoint: If another device loads the same gamertag, emphasize the failing PC or SteamOS device in the report. If no device can load it, keep the case with Xbox Support.
Once FH6 displays the intended gamertag and continues past Start Game, stop changing links or Windows components; the profile login is restored.
