Microsoft 365 apps suddenly show not activated after working normally

Question

My Microsoft 365 desktop apps were working and activated previously, but now show “Product not activated” or prompt for activation without any recent license or account changes.

The license is still assigned in the admin center, and the user can sign in to portal.office.com successfully.

Why this happen and how can I deal with it

Answer 1

Hello Lewis Kimberly

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

Regarding the activation issue you are experiencing with Microsoft 365 on macOS, please first ensure that both macOS and Office for Mac are fully updated to the latest versions. After confirming this, you may proceed with the following standard remediation steps.

• Please begin by opening Microsoft Word, selecting your profile name, and signing out. After signing out, close all Office applications completely. Once done, reopen Word and sign in again using your work account to see whether this resolves the issue.
• If the behavior persists, please close all Office applications and navigate to the following location on your Mac: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/ Within this directory, locate and delete the Identity folder.
• You might also open Keychain Access and search for entries associated with the following terms and delete all related entries: 

  Microsoft Office

  ADAL

  MSOID

  After completing this step, restart your Mac, then open any Office application and sign in again with your work account.
• If the issue continue after performing these steps, you may follow Microsoft’s official guidance on removing outdated or corrupted Office license files for macOS. This documentation is available here: How to remove Office license files on a Mac

I hope this information is helpful and that one of these actions resolves the issue.

When you have an opportunity, please let me know the results. Your update may also assist other community members who encounter similar challenges.

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Option 1 — Clean and direct

“Remove the existing Microsoft Office license files from the Mac.”

Option 2 — More technical

“Delete the current Office activation and licensing files from macOS to reset the activation state.”

Option 3 — For troubleshooting context

“Clear the Office license files on the Mac so the apps can be reactivated with the correct account.”

Option 4 — For instructions or documentation

“Use Microsoft’s recommended method to remove Office license files on macOS before reinstalling or reactivating Microsoft 365.”

These align with the language used on the page you’re viewing, which references ‘How to remove Office license files on a Mac