Finding the process of activating MS365 on my Mac incredibly confusing

On Mac, activation is done by signing in inside an Office app with the Microsoft account that owns the Microsoft 365 subscription.

1. Open Finder > Applications.
2. Open Microsoft Word.
3. In the What’s New window, select Get Started.
4. On the Sign in to activate Office screen, select Sign in.
   • If that screen does not appear, open a blank document and go to File > New from template > Sign in.
5. Enter the email address for the Microsoft account used to buy the Microsoft 365 subscription, then select Next.

If Word keeps sending activation back to a page asking to buy again, use this check first:

1. Sign in to https://account.microsoft.com/services.
2. Select Install Microsoft 365 or Office.
3. If the subscription is listed there, that is the correct Microsoft account to use in Word.

If no Office license appears there, the app is likely signed in with the wrong Microsoft account. Sign out in Word and sign in again with the account that shows the subscription.

If the subscription is a work or school subscription instead of a personal one, the license may not be set up yet by the organization’s administrator.

If activation still loops, old license data on the Mac can interfere. If multiple licenses were used before, remove the old Office license files on the Mac and then reactivate. This resets local activation data only; it does not remove the purchase.

If the apps were installed from the Mac App Store, reinstalling directly from the Microsoft account install page can help, because App Store versions typically require a Microsoft 365 subscription.

References:

• Activate Office for Mac | Microsoft Support
• [Activation](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/what-to-try-if-you-can-t-install-or-activate-office-for-mac)
• office apps not activating with microsoft 365 account - Microsoft Q&A