tried to install 2021 from my subscriptions but 365 installed instead

Question

tried to install 2021 from my subscriptions but 365 installed instead

RENEE 0

Hello,

I just followed the instructions for uninstalling Microsoft 365 on my MacBook Air and downloaded my previous Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac from the Subscriptions page of my account. But when I installed it, it was still Microsoft 365. How do I get back to my 2021 version?

Thank you

RENEE 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T18:55:43.56+00:00

This sort of worked, but now it's not finding my license, even though it's shows up on my Subscription page. Now what do I do?

Answer accepted by question author

EmilyS_726 31,430 Volunteer Moderator

Please uninstall your Office apps.

Then install this slightly older version 16.114: https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.114.26101123_BusinessPro_Installer.pkg?atp=ets

Or 16.113 version: https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.113.26100421_Installer.pkg?atp=ets

After that, open any Office app, such as Word or Excel. From the top menu, select Help > Check for Updates. When Microsoft AutoUpdate opens, uncheck Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date, then confirm by clicking Turn Off.

That should work.

RENEE 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T19:56:26.68+00:00

Yes, this worked! Thank you for this and the links!

1 additional answer

Your answer

RENEE 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T18:55:43.56+00:00

This sort of worked, but now it's not finding my license, even though it's shows up on my Subscription page. Now what do I do?
RENEE 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T19:56:26.68+00:00

Yes, this worked! Thank you for this and the links!

Answer 1

On Mac, this usually happens because the wrong Office license data is still present, or the Mac is using the Microsoft 365 build instead of the one-time purchase activation for Office Home & Business 2021.

Try this:

Close all Office apps.
Remove the Office license files on the Mac using the official license removal tool.
Restart the Mac.
Sign in to the Microsoft account that is associated with the Office Home & Business 2021 purchase.
Go to the Services & subscriptions page and select Install for the Office 2021 product.
Open an Office app and sign in with that same Microsoft account to reactivate Office 2021.

If Office still shows Microsoft 365 after reinstalling, uninstall Office for Mac again, restart the Mac, and then reinstall from the Microsoft account page. On Mac, removing old license files after installing or reinstalling Office can be necessary.

Important: the license removal tool clears saved activation data on the Mac. It does not delete the purchase, but access to the correct Microsoft account is required to reactivate Office 2021 afterward.