Repeatedly asked for 365 activation, and then activation does not work and goes round in multiple circles

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Repeatedly asked for 365 activation, and then activation does not work and goes round in multiple circles

Mick D 0

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Answer 1

DaveM121 937K Independent Advisor

There are some on-going problems reported with the Office apps on an Apple Mac device at the moment.

1

Log into your Microsoft account on this link:

https://account.microsoft.com/services/

What version of Microsoft Office do you have, is that a subscription to Microsoft 365 or a standalone version of Office like Office 2019, 2021 or 2024.

2

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?

Mick D 0 Reputation points

2026-10-02T12:59:50.77+00:00

Dave thank you for your reply. Yes it's on a Mac, and is very infuriating, as none of three methods of activation worked with no explanation whatsoever just an error code, it's really not good enough.

I find it infuriating because a Microsoft Office subscription is not cheap, but there's no real help just a rabbit warren of AI, that seldom comes up with anything to the point and useful and just wastes a lot of time. I actually discovered that on my other Mac, Office 365 was working ie. is activated, but I thought Office 365 can be shared activated across five Macs?

Anyway I've kind of had enough of this and am going to be actively looking for a Microsoft Word alternative, I don't really need everything Word offers as I'm something of an occasional user, I'm already happy to use Mac Numbers as an alternative to Excel, in fact it's better.

I have been in to my account, office 365 is paid for until next March 2027.
I'm on Golden Gate v27.01
DaveM121 937K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-02T13:04:05.6766667+00:00

Thank you for that information.

You are correct, if you pay for a subscription to Microsoft 365, you can install and use the Office on 5 devices you log into with your Microosft account at the same time.Most likely the problem you are experiencing is caused by the recent update they released, the working solution is to completely uninstall the Office apps using the process on this link:

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

Then, remove the Office licence using the steps on this link.

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

Then go to your Microsoft account on this link and reinstall Office.

https://account.microsoft.com/services/

Answer 2

Dave thank you for your reply.
Yes it's on a Mac, and is very infuriating, as none of three methods of activation worked with no explanation whatsoever just an error code, it's really not good enough.
I find it infuriating because a Microsoft Office subscription is not cheap, but there's no real help just a rabbit warren of AI, that seldom comes up with anything to the point and useful and just wastes a lot of time.
I actually discovered that on my other Mac, Office 365 was working ie. is activated, but I thought Office 365 can be shared activated across five Macs?
Anyway I've kind of had enough of this and am going to be actively looking for a Microsoft Word alternative, I don't really need everything Word offers as I'm something of an occasional user, I'm already happy to use Mac Numbers as an alternative to Excel, in fact it's better.