Can't save files

Lynne Ruth 0 Reputation points
2026-10-08T03:47:01.3833333+00:00

Just purchased Office home 2024. When I open an old file I can't save. When I click the yellow bar above it states I need Office 365. I did not pay for that and don't want that. how do I just update my 2016 Office files. I paid $189 aready.

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

    2026-10-08T03:47:15.0733333+00:00

    The yellow bar is typically an activation or subscription-state conflict, not a file-format problem. Office 2016 files should still open and save in Office Home 2024.

    For Mac, the supported fix is to remove the existing Office installation and license files, then reinstall Office Home 2024 from the Microsoft account that owns that purchase:

    1. Uninstall Office for Mac completely.
    2. Remove Office license files on the Mac.
    3. Restart the Mac.
    4. Go to the Microsoft account services page and sign in with the same Microsoft account used to purchase Office Home 2024.
    5. Find the Office 2024 license and use Install.
    6. Install the downloaded .pkg version.
    7. Open Word or Excel and sign in with that same Microsoft account.

    Important points:

    • Do not use the Mac App Store version.
    • This issue is commonly caused by leftover Microsoft 365 or older Office licensing information conflicting with Office 2024.
    • Existing Office 2016 documents do not need to be converted just to edit and save them.

    If files are stored in OneDrive and still will not save after activation is corrected, download them to the Mac first. A reported workaround is also to disable OneDrive Files On-Demand so a local copy is kept on the device.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Estrella721 46,670 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-08T04:32:03.29+00:00

    Hi,

    According to the latest update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/update-m365-office-macos-ios

    Make sure your Mac is updated and running macOS 12 or later to use the full functionality of Office Home 2024.

    To check for updates, go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update, then click Update Now. Apply all available updates.

    If your Mac is already running the latest version of macOS, use the Office License Removal Tool to remove the existing Office license from your Mac(Possibly remnants from your old office version that is also conflicting with the new one):https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193 and run the license removal tool.

    Then sign in to your Microsoft account that has Office home 2024 at https://m365.cloud.microsoft/apps. Click Install apps in the top right, then open Word and sign in with the same account to activate Office.

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