Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac stopped working

Гареев Ренат 0 Reputation points
2026-10-28T04:52:06.0233333+00:00

Hello! My Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac worked well but suddenly it switched to read-only mode and asks to purchase Microsoft 365 subscription. I tried to reinstall it, sign-out and activate again. Nothing helped to solve the problem.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | MacOS
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-28T04:52:28.4433333+00:00

    This usually happens when Office for Mac is using the wrong activation data, the Mac App Store build, or damaged local licensing files. Since reinstalling and signing out already did not help, use this order:

    1. Remove saved Office license files
      • Download and run the official license removal tool.
      • Follow the prompts, then open an Office app and sign in again with the Microsoft account associated with the Office license.
      • Restart the Mac after activation.
      • Caution: have the correct account ready before doing this.
    2. Make sure Office was not reinstalled from the Mac App Store build
      • If Office came from the App Store, remove Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook from Finder > Applications by moving them to Trash.
      • Reinstall Office directly from Microsoft using the Mac installer package, then launch Word and complete activation.
      • For one-time purchases, the Microsoft installer is the correct path for activation with a perpetual license.
    3. Check the licensing helper folder permissions
      • In Finder, go to Go > Computer > Macintosh HD > Library.
      • Find PriviligedHelperTools.
      • If there is a red stop icon next to it, the folder is not accessible.
      • Right-click it, select Get info, unlock the Sharing and Permission section, and enter the admin password.
      • If the folder is accessible but empty, uninstall and reinstall Office, then try activation again.
    4. If Office still opens as read-only
      • Open Word and go to Word > About Microsoft Word.
      • If available, use More Info > Refresh License and sign in again.
    5. If the issue continues
      • Check whether this is a current known Mac activation issue and follow any listed workaround for recent Office installation or activation issues.
      • If the problem is tied to App Store purchase validation errors such as payment error codes 1001, 1002, 1003, 1005, or server error 1301, use the Restore previous purchase for Office for Mac steps. If that still fails, contact Microsoft Support.

    References:

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