MS AutoUpdater gives me error message

Dear VeeSF,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Q&A Forum.

From your description, I can understand that you are facing AutoUpdate issue, and Office is stuck in read-only mode because of activation or version conflicts between Office 2016 and Office 2024 on Mac.

This happens when AutoUpdate encounters a permission or version conflict, especially if older Office components are still installed or the license has not been recognized correctly.

Here are some steps that you can kindly follow to help resolve this:

1. Check Office license and sign-in:
   • Open any Office app
   • Go to File > Account (on Mac: Word > About Word) and make sure you are signed in with the account that you used to purchase Office Home 2024
   • If you see "read-only" mode, sign out and back in or re-enter your product key if prompted.
2. Uninstall Office 2016 version:
   • Remove your previous Office 2016 that conflicts with AutoUpdate.
   • Restart your device.
3. Update or reinstall Microsoft AutoUpdate:
   • Download the latest version via Troubleshoot Microsoft AutoUpdate.
   • Install it, open Help > Check for Updates in any Office app.
   • If AutoUpdate still fails, uninstall and reinstall it manually.
4. Repair or reinstall Office 2024:
   • Uninstall Office completely, restart your device, reinstall it from your Microsoft account portal and run AutoUpdate again.
5. If you are using MacOs:
   • Ensure that you have read/write permission on your Office apps and documents.
   • Open file's Get info and verify "Locked" is unchecked.

I hope my answer helps you with your concern. Please keep me updated if you need any further assistance.

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