Excel says it needs to be activated

Question

Excel says it needs to be activated

Eileen Davies 0

When I try to activate Excel it refers to my 2019 expired licence instead of the new Office purchased in 2026 which is shown in Purchases. The various screens ask for my email address but do not go to a screen to input my password.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

DaveM121 937K Independent Advisor

1

If you are using the Office apps on a Windows device:

Open Word.

At the top right of Word, log out of Office.

Restart (not shut down) your PC, then log back into Office, is your licence/subscription then recognized correctly.

If not, in Word, go to File - Account, click the 'Switch Licence' button, are you able to find your new Office licence listed there

2

If you are using the Office apps on an Apple Mac computer:

What version of Microsoft Office do you have, is that a subscription to Microsoft 365 or a standalone version of Office like Office 2021 or 2024.

At the top left of your Mac desktop, click the Apple icon and select 'About this Mac', what version of MacOS is installed on your computer?

Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T14:06:02.23+00:00

Office 2024 on MacBook Pro Sequoia 15.8
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T14:10:17.8866667+00:00

Thank you for that information.

1

Use the process provided on this link to remove the Office licence, then restart your Mac and log back into the Office apps to test if that resolves the problem.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac

2

If that does not resolve the problem, completely uninstall the Office apps from your Mac using the steps on this link, then download and reinstall Office from your Microsoft account online (https://account.microsoft.com/services/).

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/uninstall-office-for-mac

Answer 2

Eileen Davies 0

I'm worried about removing the licence. When I looked at About Excel it showed my old email address and I had to use that to get to where I could input my password. Then it said the email address was wrong so I input my current address and it was accepted and I was able to look at my account which shows my current email address.

DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T15:02:57.7266667+00:00

Log into your Microsoft account on this link (https://account.microsoft.com/services/) if you find your new Office licence listed there, it is safe to remove the Office licence.
Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T15:14:59.06+00:00

There isn't actually a licence shown. It just says Office 2024 added to my account 8 Jul 2025. But now I've seen there's a section saying my 365 Personal subscription has expired and I have to resubscribe!!
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T15:18:15.9566667+00:00

You indicate in your question that you purchased a version of Office in 2025, are you unable to find that in your account, Office 2024 is the latest version of Office, unless you purchased a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T15:22:35.31+00:00

I purchased Office 2024 in 2025 for my MacBook Pro, I didn't see anything about needing a new 365 subscription. I thought in 2019 I was just buying Office.
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T15:25:39.7933333+00:00

Please provide a screenshot of the Office licenses you see on your Microsoft account on this link https://account.microsoft.com/services/, and please ensure you hide your Email address in the screenshot.
Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T15:38:37.9366667+00:00

Screenshot attached
Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T15:41:39.3066667+00:00

Where's it gone? Trying againScreenshot 2026-09-24 at 01.31.46.png
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T15:44:08.4033333+00:00

Thank you for the screenshot.

You do have am Office Home 2024 licence.

You can safely use the process on the link I provided to remove the Office licence, then restart your computer and log back into the Office apps.
Eileen Davies 0 Reputation points

2026-09-23T15:47:42.1533333+00:00

Thank you very much for your patience. It's 1.45am in Australia where I'm on holiday so I'm going to bed now and will resume the struggle in the morning.
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-23T15:49:20.3+00:00

Glad to help!