Cannot get my old MS 365 aps that had been downloaded with an now expired license

Gerald Heuer 0 Reputation points
2026-10-04T00:09:22.9866667+00:00

Sign in my home laptop with my office account, try to open an Ap and says re-sign-in, Do so and am told sign-in with a differnet account as someone already using this account. I should note that the MS 365 aps were downloaded with what is now an expired license. Should I delete the MS Aps

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | Windows
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  1. Darren Bruce 1,745 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-04T00:26:17.46+00:00

    Dear Gerald Heuer,

    Based on your description, it sounds like the Microsoft 365 apps on your laptop were originally activated using a Microsoft 365 subscription that has since expired.

    To better understand the situation, could you please confirm the following:

    • Under File > Account in Word or Excel, does the product show "Subscription Expired", "Unlicensed Product", or a different status?
    • Does the account you're signing in with currently have an active Microsoft 365 license assigned?

    If the apps were activated with an expired subscription, signing in with a different account will only work if that account has a valid Microsoft 365 license. In that case, there is typically no need to uninstall the Office apps. You can simply sign out of the old account and activate Office with a licensed account.

    Try these steps first:

    1/Sign out of all Office accounts:

    2/Open any Office app.

    • File > Account > Sign Out.
    • Close all Office apps.

    3/Open Windows Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.

    • If you see your old work account connected, disconnect it (if appropriate and you no longer use it).
    • Open an Office app again and sign in with the account that currently owns a valid license.

    If no active license is available, the desktop apps may remain in reduced functionality mode, and you may need to renew/purchase a subscription or use the free Office web apps instead.

    About the message "sign in with a different account as someone already using this account" this can happen if:

    • The Windows profile is connected to a different Microsoft/work account.
    • Office has cached old credentials.
    • The same email exists as both a personal Microsoft account and a work/school account.

    I hope information above meet your expectations, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

    Note: Please follow the steps in the forum documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-04T00:09:39.3466667+00:00

    Yes—if the apps were installed under an expired Microsoft 365 license, that old licensing state can block sign-in and activation.

    Use this order:

    1. Confirm the correct account has a valid license
      • For a work account, the Microsoft 365 apps will only activate if that account has a business license assigned.
      • If the work account does not have the needed desktop-app license, contact the organization admin or IT staff.
    2. Sign in with the right account
      • Open an Office app.
      • Go to File > Account.
      • Make sure the app is signed in with the work account that has the active Microsoft 365 license.
      • Microsoft 365 apps do not support being signed in with multiple user accounts from the same organization or tenant at the same time. One account must be signed out before the other can be used.
    3. Check whether the account is actually associated with Microsoft 365
      • Sign in to Services & subscriptions at https://account.microsoft.com/services.
      • If the Microsoft 365 product or subscription is not listed there, that account is not the one that can activate Office.
    4. If the device still shows the expired copy, uninstall old Office copies
      • In Windows 11 or Windows 10, open Control Panel.
      • Select Programs > Programs and Features.
      • Search for office.
      • If more than one version appears, uninstall the version that is no longer being used.
      • Restart the computer.
      • Open an Office app and sign in again.
    5. If activation still fails, use the license refresh path
      • In the Office app, confirm the correct signed-in account in the top-right corner.
      • If available, use Update License.
      • Close all Microsoft 365 apps and restart them.
      • Then check File > Account under Product Information to confirm which license is currently in use.
    6. If the apps were originally installed from an expired business assignment
      • Reinstall from the account that currently has the valid license.
      • For Microsoft 365 for business, the install option appears only if a license that includes the desktop apps has been assigned.

    Deleting the apps is reasonable if the laptop still has the old expired Office installation or multiple Office versions. Uninstalling old copies is the supported step before reinstalling or reactivating.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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