Cannot activate Microsoft 365

Because every family device became unlicensed at the same time, first verify that Microsoft 365 Family is active under the purchasing account and that its benefits are still shared with each affected member.

1. Check the subscription owner’s account

1. Close the Microsoft 365 apps.
2. Open Services & subscriptions in a private/incognito browser window.
3. Sign in with the Microsoft account that purchased Microsoft 365 Family—not necessarily the account currently displayed in Word.
4. Under Subscriptions, confirm that:
   • Microsoft 365 Family appears, rather than Microsoft 365 Basic or Personal.
   • Its status is Active.
   • Payment or renewal has not failed.

If the Family subscription does not appear, sign out and test any other personal Microsoft accounts that may have purchased it. Office cannot activate using an account that has no associated Office product. If it has expired, renew it, restart an affected device, and sign in again ^1^.

2. Verify Family sharing

From the subscription owner’s dashboard, inspect the people receiving the subscription:

• The owner must sign into Office with the purchasing account.
• Every other person must sign in with the Microsoft account that accepted the sharing invitation.
• A family member must have joined the owner’s Microsoft family group and still be receiving the subscription benefits. If the owner’s subscription expired or someone left the group, access may be lost [^2^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Troubleshoot sharing a Microsoft 365 subscription").
• If a member appears under not yet shared, select Start sharing. If they appear as awaiting family membership, use Invite to family [^3^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Manage Microsoft 365 subscription sharing").

After correcting the account or sharing state, restart one affected device, open Word, and sign in with that device user’s licensed Microsoft account.

3. If the subscription is active but Windows still fails

On each affected Windows device:

1. Run Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter from the activation-support page. When prompted that the site wants to open Get Help, select Open and follow the prompts. It must run on the affected PC and requires Windows 10 or later ^1^.
2. Check for duplicate installations:
   • Open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features.
   • Search for Office.
   • If multiple Office versions are installed, uninstall only the unused version, restart, and retry activation.
3. If only one version is installed, repair it:
   • Windows 11: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Microsoft 365 → More options. Select Modify or Advanced options → Repair, depending on what is available.
   • Windows 10: Settings → Apps → Apps & features → Microsoft 365 → Modify.
   • If Settings does not provide repair controls, use Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features → Microsoft 365 → Change → Online Repair [^4^](https://support.microsoft.com/office/-something-went-wrong-error-when-you-try-to-start-a-microsoft-365-app-4b4471dd-cf86-4a37-910d-35a01a6c7d17 ""Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app").

4. Conditional Mac fix

If an affected device is a Mac running macOS Tahoe, Office suddenly became view-only after the July update, or activation reports error 0x0, use this Mac-specific procedure:

1. Completely uninstall the Office applications using Microsoft’s Uninstall Office for Mac instructions.
2. Remove the Office licence files using Microsoft’s How to remove Office license files on a Mac instructions.
3. Restart the Mac.
4. Sign in at Services & subscriptions with the licensed account.
5. Download and reinstall Office.

This sequence resolved the closely matching Tahoe/0x0 activation condition ^5^. Do not apply that Mac-specific fix merely because the banner says activation is required; first verify the macOS version and exact error.

5. Escalate an account-wide licensing failure

If Services & subscriptions shows an active Family plan, sharing is correct, and all devices remain unlicensed, Microsoft Support needs to inspect the account’s subscription/licensing state. Open Microsoft Contact Support, choose Get Help, and then Contact Support for Microsoft 365 activation or subscription/account billing ^6^.

Provide support with the operating system of each affected device and the exact error text or code shown after selecting Activate.

References

1. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support
2. [Troubleshoot sharing a Microsoft 365 subscription](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])
3. [Manage Microsoft 365 subscription sharing | Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])
4. "Something went wrong" error when you try to start a Microsoft 365 app
5. Microsoft 365 Activation on MacBook Air with OS Tahoe 26.5.2 - Microsoft Q&A
6. Unable to edit in Excel and Word (Windows 11) - Microsoft Q&A