Error with newly installed Office

Confirm that the installed Office edition matches the license shown under Services & subscriptions, then remove any duplicate Office installation before running the activation troubleshooter.

1. Verify the license and installed edition

Being signed in does not necessarily mean that the account owns a license matching the installed Office edition.

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Microsoft account → Services & subscriptions: https://account.microsoft.com/services
3. Sign in with the account used to purchase or redeem Office.
4. Confirm that the expected product—such as Microsoft 365, Office 2024, or Office 2021—is listed and active.
5. If the product is present, use its Install option when reinstalling; this ensures that the installation comes from the account associated with the license.

If the product is not listed, that account cannot activate the installation. Check any other personal, work, or school account that may own the license. Microsoft identifies using the correct licensed account as the first activation check.^1^

2. Remove conflicting Office installations

A newly installed edition can conflict with an older Microsoft 365, trial, or perpetual Office installation.

1. Select Start, type Control Panel, and open it.
2. Go to Programs → Programs and Features.
3. Search the installed-program list for Office.
4. If multiple Office editions appear, uninstall the edition or trial that is not associated with the current license.
5. Restart Windows.
6. Open Word and check File → Account for the product and activation status.

Microsoft documents that multiple Office copies can cause activation conflicts and recommends removing the unused version.^1^

3. Run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter

If the license and installation match but every application still reports Error Signing In:

1. Run the troubleshooter on the affected PC.
2. When prompted that the site is trying to open Get Help, select Open.
3. Complete the activation prompts and restart Office.

The troubleshooter requires Windows 10 or later and must run on the computer containing the affected installation.[^2^](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/office-error-account-notice-we-ve-run-into-a-problem-with-your-microsoft-365-subscription#step-3-run-the-microsoft-support-and-recovery-assistant "Office error "Account Notice: We've run into a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription" | Microsoft Support")

If the troubleshooter cannot repair it

Perform a clean reinstall:

1. Back up any locally stored documents as a precaution.
2. Deactivate the existing Microsoft 365 installation from the account if applicable.
3. Use Microsoft’s Office uninstall tool to remove Office completely.
4. Restart Windows.
5. Return to Services & subscriptions and install Office from the product listed there.

Microsoft recommends this deactivate/uninstall/reinstall sequence when its activation troubleshooter does not resolve the problem.[^2^](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/office-error-account-notice-we-ve-run-into-a-problem-with-your-microsoft-365-subscription#step-3-run-the-microsoft-support-and-recovery-assistant "Office error "Account Notice: We've run into a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription" | Microsoft Support")

Conditional Windows authentication repair

Use this only if Office authentication continues to fail after the license and installation have been corrected. It applies to Windows 10 version 1703 or later with Microsoft 365 version 1807 or later, where required Windows authentication package information is missing.^3^

Open Windows PowerShell as administrator, then run the command matching the account type.

For a work or school account:

if (-not (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin)) {
    Add-AppxPackage -Register `
      "$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" `
      -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
}
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin

For a personal Microsoft account:

if (-not (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost)) {
    Add-AppxPackage -Register `
      "$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" `
      -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown
}
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost

Restart Windows after the command completes without errors, then open Word and test activation again.

References

1. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support
2. Office error "Account Notice: We've run into a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription" | Microsoft Support
3. Fix authentication issues in Microsoft 365 apps when you try to connect to a Microsoft 365 service