Windows Activation Problem

Question

I had a virus on my PC, then all of a sudden, I saw in my settings that Windows isn't activated and my Office apps stopped working.

I lso tried downloading Office Home, but it said there was a problem with the installation, right when it was almost finished. So, I tried opening Word after and it opened, but with an error that said it had run into an error that's preventing it from working correctly and that it would need to be closed. "Would you like us to repair now?" I click repair now and it just closes. Any help?

Answer 1

Hello,Kofi Ahinkorah

Welcome to the Microsoft community!

I have realized that you are unable to launch your Office.

Office requires Windows to be in an activated state for it to work properly, otherwise you will not be able to use it because of registry and permission information.

So before you refer to my method, I suggest you activate your Windows first.If you are currently having trouble activating your Windows system, I suggest you re-post your question in the Windows section, which is only for questions about Office products.

Since the installation path of Office is fixed and cannot be changed, Office cannot be normally used when there are anomalies in the local files of Office, or when there are residual files that cause incorrect access to the data, as well as when there are problems with the system and the system registry.

You can first click on the Windows icon and open Settings>Applications>Installed Apps, find your Microsoft 365 or Office 2021 and click on Modify and select Quick Repair.

If it doesn't work, you can try Online repair:

Besides, if both of them don't work.

1.Registry Reset Office

Press Windows + R and type regedit in the Open Run box and press Enter.

Locate the following key and rename the Office folder (right-click it and select Rename (for example, Office will be renamed Officeold)):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office

Then open the word document again to try the effect.

2.Add Office permissions

Press Windows + R and type regedit in the Open Run box and press Enter.

Locate the following keys:

HKEY_USERS

Locate folder S-1-5-20.

1. Right-click S-1-5-20 and select Permissions.
2. Select Add.
3. Enter everyone, select Check Names, and then select OK.

Select Allow from the Full Control option.

Disclaimer: Registry or workgroup modifications are typically intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT professionals and can help resolve some issues, but incorrect modification of the registry can lead to serious problems. So, make sure to follow the steps below strictly. For added protection, back up the registry before modifying it. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support

If none of these steps work, you may need to Manually uninstall Office - Microsoft Support and reinstall Microsoft 365.

Microsoft account | Sign In or Create Your Account Today – Microsoft, Services & subscriptions, find and download your Office product.

Finally, if you really need to reinstall, you should take a care that whether you will get error 30015 during the installation.

Feel free to post back if you need further assistance. 

Thank you for your understanding and patience and I look forward to hearing from you.

Ryan - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist