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Issues upgrading my MS Word in macOS Monterey 12.7.6.

M A 20 Reputation points
2026-05-05T17:41:33.1766667+00:00

So I recently upgraded my macOS to Monterey 12.7.6. (this was as far as I could upgrade on my 2017 MacBook Air). As I understand it, the last officially supported version of Microsoft Word/Office that works on macOS Monterey 12.7.x is MS word 16.88 (August 2024 release). I read that some users reported success with versions up to 16.89.1. so I downloaded that one to upgrade it. However, now when I open my past Word documents I only get a compatibility mode and I cannot work in it. In the documents a pop-up says "Activate Microsoft 365 to Create and edit." Essentially it leads me to having to buy Microsoft 365. Perhaps I misunderstood but I thought I could just upgrade my previous for no charge. Did I misunderstand that? Or did I go to far with 16.89.1 and should I go back and try 16.88? Can I even do that now? Not sure what to do.

Thanks in advance. - M

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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Answer accepted by question author

John Korchok 232.7K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-05-05T17:50:31.1166667+00:00

For whatever reason, you must install 16.88, then update to get the final version, Here is my article with more details: Most Recent Office You Can Run - Best Practices

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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-05T17:41:48.7533333+00:00

    On macOS Monterey 12.7.6 the last supported Office for Mac build is 16.88. Starting with the August 2024 update (16.88), that is the final version that will run on macOS Monterey; newer builds are not supported on that OS.

    Key points from the support policy:

    • Office for Mac supports only the three most recent major macOS versions.
    • As of August 2024, 16.88 is the last build that supports macOS Monterey (12).
    • Newer builds (beyond 16.88) are intended for newer macOS versions and may not behave correctly or may require activation paths aligned with Microsoft 365.

    Regarding activation and the “Activate Microsoft 365 to Create and edit” message:

    • A Microsoft 365 subscription can be used to activate an older Office for Mac version that still runs on Monterey.
    • The subscription does not automatically “upgrade for free” to a newer perpetual license; it only gives rights to use the subscription-licensed Office apps that the OS can support.
    • If Word is now showing compatibility/activation prompts and not allowing editing, that indicates the installed build is running in unlicensed/subscription mode and is asking for a valid Microsoft 365 activation.

    Given Monterey 12.7.6 and the behavior described, the practical path is:

    1. Remove the unsupported newer build and reinstall the last supported one (16.88) that works on Monterey.
    2. Activate that 16.88 installation using the existing Microsoft 365 subscription (or a valid Office product key, if applicable).
    3. After installing 16.88, run Help → Check for Updates once to move to the final 16.88.1 where applicable; there will be no further updates for Monterey beyond that.

    If the goal is to avoid a Microsoft 365 subscription entirely and rely on a perpetual license (for example, Office 2021 for Mac), that requires having such a license; a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription alone does not convert into a perpetual, non-subscription copy.

    Downgrading from 16.89.1 back to 16.88 is possible by downloading and installing the 16.88 build that is documented as the last version for macOS 12.7.6 and then activating it as above.

    References:

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