Seeking Solution to Office for Home & Business 2021 for Mac issue RE: Update License Error Code: 44

OK, something weird is going on.

First Word and Excel "About" popups are identical to Outlook (except for the name) on my machine.

Second: I don't see what you see in the dropdowns.

Yes, I've been pestered about the New Outlook. It even installed it once - causing me to have to wait over an hour as it converted my tens of thousands of emails, and to angrily call MS Support to find out how to change it back. I've sent two scathing feedbacks to Microsoft telling them to stop pestering me about it. I included some critiques of their new UI. I've been tuning Outlook to my way of working for over 20 years, and I don't need my 27" monitor to look like a tablet. It seems to have worked; I haven't been bothered about it for the last six months.

Third: AutoUpdate was pestering me again this morning,, so I ran it to see what it wanted. The results were completely different from yesterday, This time, it said I needed five updates; expanding the window showed this:

It's a standard update window, unlike yesterdays. There are now 5 apps needing upgrading. But note the installation date for OneNote - that installation (or the update it was part of), Sunday morning, is what crashed my computer. It's conceivable that the crash interrupted the installation or prevented further updates, and that's why things have been screwed up. It's also listing different revs for the different apps;; it will be interesting to see if, after I update, it wants me to do more, and whether my menu dropdowns then look like yours.

I also discovered that the window scrolls, and can be resized. If I scroll down, I see that Microsoft AutoUpdate, Microsoft Error Reporting, Microsoft Messenger, and Remote Desktop Connection are all up to date.

Hi Don A. Duncan!

Thanks for sharing your comments and screen shots. In reference to what you're seeing under the "About" menu drop-down, I never see the "Update License" link in the Outlook application. This link only appears in the "About" menu drop down for the Excel, Word and PowerPoint applications. In the Outlook application, the "Update License" position is replaced with the notion that I am using the "Legacy Outlook" version (instead of the so-called "New Outlook" version. Since you're on Version 16.78.3, you may not have experienced the opportunity to make the switch to the new version of Outlook (which in my opinion, is pretty awful). Fortunately you can opt out and continue using the legacy version of Outlook. Sorry I wasn't more clear about that earlier.

Just to clarify further, here is what I see in my About Outlook window ...

And here is the About Outlook drop-down menu, showing the "Legacy Outlook" text ...

Next up, here are the "About" menu drop-downs for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, all of which show the "Update License" links ...

Because I'm using the very latest version of Office H&B 2021 for Mac {16.82.2 (24021116)}, when I open any Office app and go to the help menu and select "Check for Updates", I see this:

I just checked out our iMac Pro and its Office H&B 2021 apps are all at the current version {16.82.2 (24021116)}. I ran the AutoUpdate and it was the only app that needed an update, from version 4.67 (installed on Jan 18, 2024) to version 4.68. So the iMac Pro matches the behavior of my MacBook Pro. That said, as the AutoUpdate ran, I observed that the iMac Pro also has Microsoft Defender, OneNote, Teams Classic and OneDrive installed. I'll be uninstalling these unused apps ASAP.

Regarding your remaining observations on what's going on, I agree that Microsoft definitely seems to be moving towards subscription-based products. It could very well be that Office 2021 for Mac is basically a rebranding of Office 2019, with a few enhancements, like the introduction of the "New Outlook" and other tweaks throughout the range of apps, including the 4 above that I'll be removing. I've used the Office product line for many years, starting with Office 2011, through 2016, 2019 and now 2021, and have had very few issues or complaints in all that time. My next-door neighbor has a 2013 vintage iMac and has been running Office for Mac 2011 ever since. I'm amazed it still works, but it does (and they never get any reminders about needing updates!).

There's an interesting "End of support resources for Office" dated 12/12/2023 that offers some insight into versions that are no longer supported. the potential risks involved, and as expected, recommends upgrading to Microsoft 365 Apps. From my perspective, if there's not a comparable one-time purchase Office Home and Business product from Microsoft to replace the 2021 product in 2026 (or whenever), I'll very likely migrate to the Apple equivalent apps (i.e., Numbers, Pages, Mail, Keynote). I have zero intention to migrate to a subscription-based product.

Lastly, the 2021 Home and Business for Mac product is indeed listed on Microsoft's web site, as noted in the following screen shot ...

I purchased this version on our iMac Pro directly from Microsoft in August 2023. The version on my MacBook was purchased from Best Buy when I purchased my MacBook Pro there in July 2023. There is virtually no difference in the products with the exception that the purchase directly from Microsoft has a one-year warranty, versus 90 days for the Best Buy purchase. I can't imagine the hassle that getting a warranty claim handled would entail in either case.

I suspect that a number of visitors to this thread will say or think TL;DR. Hopefully, the content will be useful to those who may be seeking to understand and resolve the issues of the type we've encountered with the 2021 Office product.

Ciao!

Don

No, I don't see "Update License". Here's what my "About" window showed. The "Before" is what I encountered Sunday morning after the crash, the "After" is following the license reactivation. My take on this is that their Saturday night auto-mod of my installation inactivated the license with the expectation that it would be reactivated when I signed in, and it checked my account at Microsoft. In fact, the first thing the tech asked me was what I saw when I signed in to Word. Only I don't sign in - all the apps simply launch when I click the icon. The only way to trigger sign-in was to uninstall the license.

It clearly says it's Office H&B 2021, rev 16.78.3. Yet the update window in the previous post says both that 16,78 is up to date and that an "upgrade" (not an update) is required - and "Upgrade required" is a link to the 2019 end-of-life notice.

To get that window, open an Office app. Go to the Help menu and select "Check for Updates". You should get this:

Click on the down arrow next to "Check for Updates"; the window should expand and you should see the equivalent of what I posted yesterday. That will tell you whether your wife's iMac is in the same situation as mine, and might illuminate the situation on your laptop.

Here's what I think is going on:

• Microsoft specifies that its software is licensed, not sold. That means that you can't sell it, only the registered device can use it, and only as long as you have a valid license. The licensed device can't be changed for 90 days after registration, but it also has a maximum of 365 days, which implies it gets renewed annually. They also say, "The software periodically checks for software updates, and downloads and installs them for you. You may obtain updates only from Microsoft or authorized sources, and by accepting this agreement or using the software, you agree to receive these types of automatic updates without any additional notice." This apparently gives them license to access my computer and do an update even though I had AutoUpdate disabled - i.e. without my permission.
• Microsoft introduced Office 365 in 2013, and ever since has been moving toward making that their flagship Office suite, available by subscription. This has a dual benefit - simplified development and maintenance, and a guaranteed revenue stream. [Since it's cloud-based, it also theoretically offers a lot more access to user information, like Google has.] In 2020, they rebranded this as Microsoft 365. You can see the history on their page 10 Years of Microsoft 365.
• They continued to support on-computer Office applications, but intended to eventually phase them out. Since 2020, there has been an ever more intensive drive to move people to 365.
• Software has major releases and minor releases. Minor releases are bug fixes, patches, and security updates - and occasionally minor feature upgrades. Major releases are versions which introduce new features and, typically, make changes in the underlying engine to support them, along with any major changes to enhance performance. I think the last true major release of the standalone version was Office 2019, at least for the Mac. In the 2019 FAQ, it is referred to as "the next perpetual release of Office", explaining "Office 2019 applications don't receive feature updates but do receive regular security and stability updates." The term ":perpetual release" is very strange, as is "perpetual license"; it seems to be their way to distinguish these products from the subscription versions, where the license is dependent on continuing to pay them.
• They have also limited the functionality of the on-computer versions, not adding access to new Office applications, not adding some of the 365 features to the "perpetual" versions of the apps, and providing fewer applications on the Mac than on PCs. For instance, "Office 2019 is available for both Windows and macOS, and includes classic versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. The Windows version also includes Publisher 2019, Access 2019, Project 2019, and Visio 2019." It also appears that the Windows and Mac versions are on separate tracks - that the Windows versions are being updated more comprehensively and maintained for longer than the Mac versions (see below).
• I think Office 2021 for the Mac retained the underlying 2019 engine, and added a minimal amount of new features. The What's new in Office 2021 page doesn't list anything overwhelming - for instance, adding functions to Excel is no more than plugging additional code into the function library, and speeding up applications is just code optimization. The 2021 FAQ does claim that "We are happy to confirm our commitment to another release of the perpetual version of Office in the future, beyond this release." On the other hand, it claims that Office 2021 will be supported for 5 years, which appears not to be the case - at least for the Mac. I"m not holding my breath.
• As you noted, the release history states that the January 18th update made "Changes to support Office 2019 Perpetual License End of Life", and the update history states, "Office 2019 for Mac reached the end of support on October 10, 2023 and will no longer receive updates." Since the note only refers to the Mac, I think this confirms that the Windows and Mac versions are on separate tracks, that Office 2021 for the Mac is actually Office 2019 with a few enhancements, and they shorted Mac customers. It also means that there may not be another version for Mac. However, it does seem to confirm that the January update is the source of my problems, at least.

One other note. When I was looking to upgrade in 2021, I didn't find 2021 Home & Business listed on their web site - and it still isn't. The only alternative to 365 they listed was Home & Student, and that's still the case. I found Home & Business when my memory supplier offered a special. There's also an Office 2021 Commercial, but I've no idea how you'd go about buying it, since I've never seen it (e.g. Best Buy apparently doesn't carry it).

Thanks for the update Don, and it's really good to hear that you were able to get your apps working and get your backed up emails downloaded. Over the course of the past few weeks, I ran the license removal too a number of times along with uninstalling and reinstalling Office 2021 for Mac.

Looking at your screen shot with the red (Upgrade Required) text and warning/attention symbol, I asked my wife if it matched what she saw on her iMac last month. She can't confirm that it was the same. It could have been that screen though as I may have clicked on the question mark icon and seen information regarding the Office 2019 end of life message. Odd since we upgraded to the 2021 product in July and August of 2023.

That said, we have the Microsoft AutoUpdate preferences set to "Automatically keep Microsoft apps up to date". I can certainly understand not wanting to have the AutoUpdate preference set to prevent autonomous updates from occurring. Being an early adopter of updated software of operating systems can be problematic at times!

I'm not aware that MS Office Home and Business 2021 for Mac is, in actuality, Office 2019. I just looked at the "Release history or Microsoft autoupdate (MAU)" issued 01/31/2024, where it lists the January 2024 release on January 18, 2024. In the "Enhancements section, it states "Changes to support Office 2019 Perpetual License End of Life." I'm not sure exactly what that means.

On that same web page, on the left-hand column, you'll see "Office for Mac" where you can find links to the "Update history (Microsoft 365, 2021) and Release notes (Microsoft 365, 2021). {Aarrggghh -- why do they keep referring to Microsoft 365 when it also states: "These release notes also apply to Office LTSC 2021 for Mac an Office 2021 for Mac, which are available as a one-time purchase from a retail store or through a volume licensing agreement." Note that the final bullet in that this section of the release notes says: "Office 2019 for Mac reached the end of support on October 10, 2023 and will no longer receive updates."

I've bookmarked the Update history for Office for Mac page on my MacBook and iMac, so I can be tuned in to the Release History, the Release Notes and MAU Release History content. While you may prefer to never update to later versions of the Office applications,, you might be missing out on some fixes or enhancements that might be useful or essential in preventing security or usability problems. At a minimum, I suggest reviewing the release notes periodically to be aware of what the Microsoft engineers are doing with the Office apps that may affect you.

Lastly, there are two versions of Office 2021 for the Mac environment that are still offered as a "one-time" purchase: Home & Student (sans Outlook) and Home & Business ...

Both of these products are supported per their licensing documentation. Interestingly, from what I could decipher on the license legal documentation, if you purchase directly from Microsoft, there is a one-year warranty, but if you purchase from a retailer, like Apple or Best Buy, the warranty is only 90 days. Hmmmm ... same price, same product, different warranty.

Lastly, I wanted to ask if when you open Word, Excel or PowerPoint now, are you seeing the link for "Update License" in the apps' "About" menu drop-down? And if you click that link, what follows?

OK, my situation is resolved and I'm back on line. I selected Chat instead of phone, jockeyed around with the support person with an Indian name, who eventually admitted he couldn't solve the problem and transferred me to the tech group,

Their screen sharing didn't work on my machine, so he told me to download the license removal tool, run it, then open Word and sign in again.

I did, and the license now reads properly, and Outlook started and downloaded all the backed-up emails. So at least that worked the way it should. Still no indication of why it happened.

My current version shows as "Up to date", so I don't know why you show later revisions.

It may be because I'm still running Monterey. As I said, following the "Update required" link takes me to the MS page which explains that Office 2019 will no longer get security updates.

I'm a little peeved that MS Office 2021 for Home & Business is actually Office 2019, and now no longer supported, 2 years before it should have expired. I just hope the stupid AutoUpdate wizard doesn't keep hounding me to upgrade.

And they still say Office 2021 for Home & Student (no Outlook) is available as an option to MS 365 ($149) - Office Home & Student 2021. Are they selling software which is no longer supported? Or have they just not bothered to update their web site? Or is there really an Office 2021, but they didn't use that in Home & Business?