Complaint: Office 2021 License Not Recognized on Mac – Activation Issue

Yusuf Abror 20 Reputation points
2026-10-23T19:00:40.0966667+00:00

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I am writing to report an issue with activating Microsoft Office on my Mac (my account: ******@rocketmail.com), despite having a valid Office 2021 license registered to my Microsoft account.

My Microsoft Word application displays the message “License: Not Activated” and prompts me to sign in to verify a Microsoft 365 subscription. However, I own a one-time purchase license for Office 2021, not a Microsoft 365 subscription.

I have checked my Microsoft account and confirmed that my Office 2021 license is registered there. Nevertheless, I am unable to activate Microsoft Word or edit documents. This issue is significantly affecting my academic work and daily productivity.

For your reference, my current setup is as follows:

Product: Microsoft Office 2021 (one-time purchase)

Application: Microsoft Word for Mac

Version: 16.114.1 (26102031)

Operating system: macOS (version to be confirmed)

Activation status: Not Activated

I would appreciate your assistance in identifying the cause of this issue and providing a solution that allows me to activate and use the Office 2021 license I already own, without requiring me to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Please also clarify whether this issue is related to the compatibility of my Office installation with my macOS version or to a problem with the license verification process.

I would be grateful for a prompt resolution, as I need Microsoft Word for my academic and professional responsibilities.

Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,

Muhammad Yusuf Abror

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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Answer accepted by question author
EmilyS_726 34,465 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-10-23T19:31:56.3666667+00:00

Please uninstall your Office apps.

Then install this slightly older version 16.114: https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.114.26101123_BusinessPro_Installer.pkg?atp=ets

Or 16.113 version: https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.113.26100421_Installer.pkg?atp=ets

After that, open any Office app, such as Word or Excel. From the top menu, select Help > Check for Updates. When Microsoft AutoUpdate opens, uncheck Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date, then confirm by clicking Turn Off.

That should work.

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