Having trouble activating MS365 on my Mac desktop

Kevin Morrow 0 Reputation points
2026-11-02T19:01:15.3766667+00:00

Just today, I got a subscription to MS365 Personal, and I've been trying to activate the MS Office software on my Mac desktop. I deleted all the old MS Office stuff, rebooted the computer, went back into my MS365 account, downloaded all the MS Office software, opened up a Word document and got this:

Screenshot 2026-11-02 at 1.55.30 PM

Same thing happened when I tried to open up Excel. I already got the subscription, all paid for and everything. So, can anyone tell me how to get past this? Tearing my hair out with rage after trying to figure this out for 2+ hours, and of course, Microsoft has no customer service in terms of people you can actually speak to on the phone.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | MacOS

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  1. AI answer

    2026-11-02T19:01:36.2633333+00:00

    The screenshot indicates Office is not seeing an active license for the account currently signed in. For a new Microsoft 365 Personal purchase on Mac, the fastest supported checks are:

    1. Verify the subscription is on the same Microsoft account used in Word/Excel.
      • Sign in at https://account.microsoft.com/services
      • Select Install Microsoft 365 or Office.
      • If a Microsoft 365 or Office license appears there, that is the account that must be used to activate Office on the Mac.
      • If no Office license appears, search email accounts for the Microsoft purchase confirmation and use that account instead.
    2. Sign out of Office and sign back in with the licensed account.
      • In Word or Excel, sign out.
      • Sign in again, and if needed choose Sign in with another account.
    3. Reset Office credentials on the Mac.
      • Open Spotlight.
      • Search for and open Keychain Access.
      • Search for Office.
      • Delete the data license file.
    4. Remove old Office license files, then reactivate.
      • Run the official License Removal Tool: https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac
      • Restart the Mac.
      • Open Word or Excel and complete activation again.
    5. If Office keeps asking to sign in or shows authentication problems, make sure Office is in the default /Applications folder. If it was moved elsewhere, activation can fail or repeatedly prompt.
    6. If the Mac was previously used with another Office installation, leftover licensing data can still block activation even after deleting the apps. Removing license files and reactivating is the supported fix.
    7. If the license still does not appear on the Services page after purchase, contact Microsoft support.

    References:

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