Locked out of home and student word account

A valid Office Home & Student one-time license does not require Microsoft 365; sign in with the Microsoft account that owns the license and ensure Word was installed directly from Microsoft rather than the Mac App Store.

1. Confirm which account owns Office

1. Close Word.
2. Open the Microsoft Services & subscriptions page and sign in with the Microsoft account originally used to redeem or purchase Office.
3. Confirm that Office Home & Student appears under that account. If it does not, try other personal email addresses you may have used or search your email for the original Microsoft purchase confirmation.
4. Reopen Word and sign in with that same licensed account—not a school, work, or different personal account. Microsoft’s Mac activation guidance identifies the account displaying the Office license as the correct activation account.^1^

If no account shows the purchase, this is an account or purchase-record problem rather than a requirement to subscribe. Use Microsoft’s sign-in helper or Contact Support; support cannot directly change account details or send password-reset links.[^2^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Microsoft 365 for home")

2. If Word came from the Mac App Store, replace it

Mac App Store versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint require Microsoft 365 for editing and cannot use a one-time Home & Student license.^3^

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Finder → Applications.
3. Control-click Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, then select Move to Trash.
   • This removes the applications, not documents stored elsewhere on the Mac.
4. Return to the Microsoft account that displays your Home & Student purchase.
5. Select Install Microsoft 365 or Office or Install apps and download Office from there.
6. Install it, open Word, and sign in with the account owning the one-time license.
7. If offered a choice of licenses, select the one-time purchase/Home & Student license.

3. If the correct Microsoft-installed Word still requests Microsoft 365

Reset the cached Office licensing data:

1. Ensure that you know the email address and password for the account owning Home & Student.
2. Quit every Office application.
3. Download and run Microsoft’s Office License Removal Tool.
4. Open the downloaded .pkg, select Continue, and complete the wizard. A Mac administrator password may be required.
5. Open Word and sign in with the licensed account.
6. Select the one-time-purchase license if prompted, then restart the Mac.

The tool removes all Office licenses currently cached on the Mac, so do not run it until the correct account credentials are available.^4^

If activation then reports “installation limit reached,” Home & Student is licensed for one computer; activation on another computer or after a hardware change can trigger that message.^5^

References

1. [Activation](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/what-to-try-if-you-can-t-install-or-activate-office-for-mac)
2. [Microsoft 365 for home](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])
3. Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store | Microsoft Support
4. How to remove Office license files on a Mac | Microsoft Support
5. Activate Office after reinstalling or installing on a different device | Microsoft Support