How do I activate my license in Word?

Question

How do I activate my license in Word?

Savanah Forster 20

Purchased a refurbished mac book air M4, installed Office 365. I successfully installed Microsoft Word and Excel. I am able to sign into my Microsoft account online, but when I try to activate Word and Excel it won't accept my account information and shows that my license is not activated. I recently renewed my subscription through Oct. 2026. How do I activate my license?

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Answer 1

Harold Milan 17,595 Independent Advisor

Hi Savanah,

Here are some common reasons why Office apps on macOS might not recognize your license:

Account mismatch during activation

Office licenses are tied to the Microsoft account used during purchase or renewal. If you signed in with a different account, Word and Excel won’t detect the license.

Office installed as a trial or standalone version

Sometimes, Office installs in a mode that isn’t linked to your Microsoft 365 subscription, which can block activation.

Corrupted activation cache or outdated Office build

A damaged license file or an older version of Office can prevent proper activation.

macOS keychain or permission issues

Office relies on macOS keychain access to store activation tokens. If permissions are restricted, activation may fail silently.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you activate Office successfully:

Verify Your Subscription

Visit https://account.microsoft.com/services and confirm that your Microsoft 365 subscription is listed under the account you're using.

Sign Out and Back Into Office Apps

Open Word or Excel.

Go to Word > Sign Out from the top menu.

Restart the app and sign in again using the account with the active subscription.

Check for Updates

Open any Office app.

Go to Help > Check for Updates and install the latest version.

Reset Office Activation Cache

Quit all Office apps.

Open Finder > Go > Go to Folder, then enter:

~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office

Delete the folder named OfficeLicensing.

Restart your Mac and try activating again.

Reinstall Office (if needed)

If activation still fails, uninstall Office completely using Microsoft’s official removal tool, then reinstall from https://www.office.com .

Let me know how it goes, Happy to help!

Savanah Forster 20 Reputation points

2025-10-23T19:57:35.9366667+00:00

I have tried everything you've listed and have uninstalled Word and Excel (the only 2 Office apps I installed). What do you suggest as the best link to reinstall them?
Harold Milan 17,595 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-10-23T20:25:57.04+00:00

Hi Again,

here's the link i suggest https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-install-or-reinstall-microsoft-365-or-office-2024-on-a-pc-or-mac-4414eaaf-0478-48be-9c42-23adc4716658

Happy to help!
Savanah Forster 20 Reputation points

2025-10-23T21:59:42.44+00:00

Thank you again for hour help. I reinstalled Word and Excel, but the same issue is there. The support prompts keep telling me to use a different account, but I don't have more than one. I tried returning my subscription since I just recently renewed, but it won't expire until next October. Maybe I should try to purchase another account. I will have to create a new email address in order to do that since both of mine are connected to the existing account.