Chat with an agent- Local Office requires 365 activation, then doesn't activate

RavitL 0 Reputation points
2026-08-24T18:03:01.7066667+00:00

I've had MSFT Office for years now locally on my MAC. A couple of weeks ago when I'd open Word or Excel I'd see a message saying I need to activate my MSFT 365 in order to edit or create. When I couldn't work around it, I purchased a MSFT 365 and Office subscription ($99) even though I just need Office. Still, Office wouldn't activate and keeps looping me through activation process. I've verified that I'm using the same email and that I have a subscription visible on MSFT account.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | MacOS
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  1. Xavier-D 14,270 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-25T00:09:12.4666667+00:00

    Hello RavitL

    I’m sorry you purchased a new subscription and are still stuck in the activation loop.

    Could you confirm your macOS version and the Word or Excel version under Word/Excel > About Word/Excel? Recent Office licensing changes require at least macOS 12 and Office version 16.83.

    If your Mac meets those requirements, quit all Office apps, run Microsoft’s Office license removal tool, and then reopen Word and sign in with the account showing the active subscription:

    Remove Office license files on a Mac

    If activation still loops afterward, here is how to contact Microsoft Support:

    Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.  

    1. Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support 
    2. In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below. 
    3. In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account. 
    4. Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm 
    5. You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window. 

    I hope this info help you resolve this issue

    Have a nice day.

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  2. DONALD BYERLY 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-30T17:18:48.8966667+00:00

    Excel is working properly but Word now has same problem.

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  3. DONALD BYERLY 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-30T17:20:45.9966667+00:00

    Need to work with agent like yesterday.

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  4. DONALD BYERLY 0 Reputation points
    2026-10-30T17:22:11.78+00:00

    Need to work with agent like I did yesterday

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