subscription

Sign Word in with the same Microsoft account that shows the active Microsoft 365 subscription under Services & subscriptions; purchasing the subscription does not activate Word when Word is using another account.^1^

Verify and activate the subscription

1. Close Word and other Office applications.
2. Open the Microsoft account Services & subscriptions page.
3. Sign in with the Microsoft account used for the purchase.
4. Confirm that Microsoft 365 appears under Subscriptions and is Active.
   • If it is not listed, sign out of the webpage and try any other personal email address that might have been used for the purchase.
   • If it appears as expired, cancelled, or suspended, resolve the displayed subscription or payment issue first.
5. Open Word:
   • Windows: select File → Account.
   • Mac: select the account/profile control in Word.
6. Sign out of any account that does not own the subscription, close Word, reopen it, and sign in with the account verified in step 4.
7. In Windows Word, return to File → Account. Under Product Information, confirm that it shows an activated Microsoft 365 product rather than Unlicensed Product.

Microsoft 365 normally activates by account sign-in, not by entering a product key.^2^

If Word remains unlicensed on Windows

1. Open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features.
2. Search for Office.
3. If multiple Office versions are installed, uninstall versions you no longer use, restart Windows, and sign in to Word again. Multiple installations can cause activation conflicts.^1^
4. If only one version is installed—or removing the duplicate does not help—run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter from Microsoft’s activation article. Run it on the affected PC; it requires Windows 10 or later.
5. If the troubleshooter cannot repair activation, deactivate the installation, completely uninstall Office, and reinstall it from the verified subscription account.^3^

If the subscription was purchased through Apple on a Mac

An App Store subscription may already be associated with the Microsoft account that was signed into Office when the purchase occurred. Sign out of Word, sign in with that original Microsoft account, and use Restore Previous Purchase. If it reports that the purchase belongs to another account and none of the likely accounts work, contact Microsoft Support.^4^

If the active subscription is visible online under the correct account but Word still requests a purchase after these steps, use Contact Support from the Microsoft account help page and provide the exact message shown in Word—without posting payment or account details publicly.^5^

References

1. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support
2. Using product keys with Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Support
3. Office error "Account Notice: We've run into a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription" | Microsoft Support
4. Office for Mac payment error code 1303 | Microsoft Support
5. I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365