STUDENT 2021 FOR MAC

Uninstall Office 16.114.2, install Microsoft’s October 6 version 16.113.4, reactivate with the Microsoft account that owns Office Home & Student 2021, and temporarily turn off automatic updates.

Restore Office Home & Student 2021

1. Confirm the purchase account
   • Sign in at https://account.microsoft.com/services with the Microsoft account used to redeem Office 2021.
   • Confirm Office Home & Student 2021 for Mac appears there. A one-time purchase must be activated with its associated account; it does not require Microsoft 365.^1^
2. Quit and remove the current Office applications
   • Close Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
   • Open Finder → Applications.
   • Control-click each Office application and select Move to Trash.
   • This removes the applications, not your Excel documents.
3. Install Office version 16.113.4
   • Download Microsoft’s Office 16.113.4 suite installer:
   https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.113.26100421_Installer.pkg
   • Open the downloaded .pkg and complete installation.
   • Version 16.113.4 is the October 6, 2026 release listed in Microsoft’s official Office for Mac update history.^2^
   • This rollback is the accepted recovery for the closely matching Office 2021 for Mac problem where newer 16.114.x builds reject a perpetual license.^3^
4. Reactivate
   • Open Excel.
   • Select Activate or Sign in when prompted.
   • Use the same Microsoft account verified in step 1.
   • If offered multiple licenses, select the Office Home & Student 2021 one-time-purchase license.
   • Confirm Excel can create, edit, and save a test workbook.
5. Prevent an immediate return to 16.114.2
   • In Excel, select Help → Check for Updates.
   • In Microsoft AutoUpdate, clear Automatically keep Microsoft Apps up to date and select Turn Off.
   • Do not manually update back to 16.114.1 or 16.114.2 while this activation problem remains. The same rollback-and-pause procedure resolved the closely matched Home & Student 2021 case.^4^

If activation still fails

Reset the stored Office licensing data, then activate again. This removes all Office licenses stored on this Mac, so have the Office 2021 account credentials available first.

1. Quit every Office application.
2. Download Microsoft’s license-removal tool: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=849815
3. Open the downloaded .pkg, select Continue, and complete the wizard.
4. Reinstall version 16.113.4 if necessary.
5. Open Excel and sign in with the account that owns Office Home & Student 2021.
6. Restart the Mac after activation succeeds.^5^

Check the installer source

If Excel originally came from the Mac App Store, it cannot use a perpetual Office license. Mac App Store copies of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint require Microsoft 365; one-time licenses require apps downloaded directly from Microsoft.^6^

The rollback installer above is downloaded directly from Microsoft and therefore uses the correct channel.

Office 2021 support ended on October 13, 2026, meaning it no longer receives technical support, security fixes, or software updates. Microsoft nevertheless states that Office 2021 applications may continue to function; end of support is not described as converting the perpetual purchase into a Microsoft 365 subscription.^7^

References

1. What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac | Microsoft Support
2. Update history for Office for Mac
3. Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac licence no longer working - Microsoft Q&A
4. Office 2021 Home & Student license suddenly stopped working on Mac - Microsoft Q&A
5. How to remove Office license files on a Mac | Microsoft Support
6. Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store | Microsoft Support
7. End of support for Office 2021 | Microsoft Support