I had bought my lifelong Microsoft plan but recently could not use/edit/save Microsoft Word documents

Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your 2020 one-time Office purchase and reactivate that license; do not buy Microsoft 365 unless the purchase cannot be found on any of your accounts.

1. Find the account holding the licence

Your Gmail address can be used as a Microsoft account, but the licence belongs to whichever account was used to redeem or activate Office in 2020.

1. Open the Microsoft account Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services
2. Sign in using the Gmail address you used in 2020.
3. Look for a product such as Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, or Office 2019/2021 for Mac.
4. If it is absent, try any other email address you might have used. Search your email accounts for the original Microsoft order, redemption, or activation confirmation.
5. If Microsoft sold it directly, also check Payment & billing → Order history, selecting a date range covering 2020.^1^

The free web version of Word appearing on the account does not prove that the desktop licence is attached. The specific Office product must be listed under the account.^2^

2. Reconnect Word to that licence

Once the one-time purchase is visible:

1. Open Word.
2. Select Word → About Microsoft Word.
3. Check the email beside Belongs to.
4. Select More Info → Refresh License.
5. When prompted, sign in with the account that displays the one-time Office purchase.
6. Close and reopen Word, then test editing and saving a new document.^3^

3. If Word came from the Mac App Store

Only follow this branch if Word’s App Store page shows that it was installed from there, or if you recently replaced or reinstalled Word through the App Store.

Mac App Store versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint require Microsoft 365 and cannot be activated with a one-time Office licence. For a perpetual licence, install Office directly from Microsoft instead.^4^

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Finder → Applications.
3. Control-click Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, then select Move to Trash.
4. Return to https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in with the licensed account.
5. Select the installation option beside the listed Office purchase.
6. Run the downloaded installer, open Word, and activate it with that same account.

Removing the applications does not delete Word documents stored in Documents, Desktop, OneDrive, or other folders.

4. If the correct purchase is listed but activation remains locked

Reset the locally stored Office licences:

1. Ensure that you know the licensed account’s email address and password.
2. Download Microsoft’s Office licence removal tool from the official instructions.
3. Open the downloaded .pkg file and complete the wizard. A Mac administrator password may be required.
4. Open Word and sign in with the account holding the one-time purchase.
5. If offered multiple licences, select the one-time Office licence associated with the 2020 purchase.
6. Restart the Mac after activation.^5^

This tool removes saved activation data from the Mac; it does not remove the purchase from the Microsoft account.

About “lifetime” Office

A one-time purchase is for the Office release purchased, rather than a recurring Microsoft 365 subscription. It does not include upgrades to later major releases.^6^

If the product is Office 2019 for Mac, support and security updates ended on October 10, 2023, but Microsoft states that the software can still be used.^7^ End of support by itself does not convert that licence into a subscription.

If no Office purchase appears under any likely account, locate the 2020 receipt or product-key record and contact Microsoft Support for purchase/account assistance. Do not post your full email address, product key, receipt, or other account information publicly.

References

1. View your Microsoft Store order history | Microsoft Support
2. [Activation](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/what-to-try-if-you-can-t-install-or-activate-office-for-mac)
3. Microsoft Office stopped letting me edit. Requires Office 365 to edit - Microsoft Q&A
4. Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store | Microsoft Support
5. How to remove Office license files on a Mac | Microsoft Support
6. Office 2021 and Office LTSC for Windows and Mac FAQ | Microsoft Support
7. End of support for Office 2019 for Mac | Microsoft Support