I am writing to raise a complaint regarding an issue with my purchased **MS Office 2021 Home & Business Lifetime License**.

Reset the saved Office licensing data, completely remove the malfunctioning Mac installation, and reinstall Office 2021 from Microsoft—not the Mac App Store—using the Microsoft account where the purchase is already visible.

1. Reset the Mac’s saved Office licenses

Since reinstalling alone did not help and the purchase already appears in your account, clear the local activation records first:

1. Quit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
2. Download the Office License Removal Tool only from Microsoft’s official page.
3. Open the downloaded .pkg, select Continue, and complete the wizard using the Mac administrator password.
4. When it reports that the licenses were removed, select Close. This removes local license files; it does not remove the purchase from the Microsoft account. ^1^

If macOS says it cannot verify the package, do not bypass the warning unless the file was downloaded directly from the Microsoft Support page and macOS identifies Microsoft as the signed developer.

2. Completely remove the broken installation

A normal reinstall can leave containers and activation components behind.

1. Open Finder > Applications.
2. Command-click all Microsoft Office applications.
3. Control-click the selection and choose Move to Bin.
4. In Finder, press Command+Shift+G, enter ~/Library, and select Go.
5. Open Containers and move these folders to the Bin when present:
   • Microsoft Error Reporting
   • Microsoft Excel
   • com.microsoft.netlib.shipassertprocess
   • com.microsoft.Office365ServiceV2
   • Microsoft Outlook
   • Microsoft PowerPoint
   • com.microsoft.RMS-XPCService
   • Microsoft Word
   • Microsoft OneNote
6. Return to ~/Library, open Group Containers, and remove:
   • UBF8T346G9.ms
   • UBF8T346G9.Office
   • UBF8T346G9.OfficeOsfWebHost
7. Remove Office icons from the Dock and restart the Mac. ^2^

Warning: Removing Outlook containers can delete locally stored Outlook data. Back up those folders before deleting them if Outlook contains data that has not synchronized to a server.

3. Install the Microsoft version of Office 2021

Do not install Word or Excel from the Mac App Store. App Store Office applications require a Microsoft 365 subscription and are not compatible with perpetual Office licenses. ^3^

Use either of these Microsoft-provided routes:

• Open Microsoft account Services & subscriptions, sign in to the account where Office 2021 is displayed, and select Install beside Office Home & Business 2021.
• Alternatively, download the Office 2021 for Mac Installer directly from Microsoft.

Then:

1. Open the downloaded installer from Finder > Downloads.
2. Select Continue > Agree > Install.
3. Enter the Mac administrator password when requested.
4. Open Word from Launchpad and select Get Started.
5. Sign in with the same Microsoft account that displays the Office 2021 purchase. The normal Mac installation and activation sequence is documented here. ^4^

Office 2021 support has ended, but that statement does not itself convert a one-time license into a subscription or require repurchasing it. A previously redeemed key should not be entered again; installation is performed through the associated Microsoft account. ^5^

If activation reports a confirmed purchase but still cannot activate

Only for that specific symptom, inspect the licensing-helper folder:

1. Open Finder > Go > Computer.
2. Browse to Macintosh HD > Library.
3. Locate PrivilegedHelperTools.
4. If it has a red stop icon, open Terminal and run:

cd /Library
sudo -s
chmod 755 ./PrivilegedHelperTools
exit

5. Quit Terminal and all Office applications, reopen Word, and activate again.

If the folder is accessible but empty, reinstall Office and confirm that files appear there before retrying activation. ^6^

Request direct Microsoft assistance

Microsoft Learn Q&A cannot inspect purchases or validate account ownership. For account verification and assisted activation, open Microsoft’s support page, choose Personal account > Microsoft technical support > Get help, and describe the issue as:

Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac appears under Services & subscriptions, but activation reports no valid license after running the license-removal tool and reinstalling the Microsoft-direct build.

The support workflow can offer self-help or connect you to an available support option such as chat. Have the purchase receipt and the Microsoft account ready, but do not post the product key, password, or email address publicly. ^7^

References

1. How to remove Office license files on a Mac | Microsoft Support
2. Uninstall Office for Mac
3. Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store | Microsoft Support
4. [Office for Mac 2021](https://support.microsoft.com/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/download-and-install-or-reinstall-office-2021-office-2019-or-office-2016)
5. Where to enter your Office product key | Microsoft Support
6. [Activation](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/what-to-try-if-you-can-t-install-or-activate-office-for-mac)
7. Contact Microsoft customer support | Microsoft Support