WORD is showing that it is a unlicensed product when I have a paid up MS Office Business account. HELP!!!

Question

Word is showing that it is an unlicensed product which is not true. why is it

not showing a network connection?

Answer 1

Dear @Wendell Frazier, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

As a moderator, I don't have the tools to investigate your specific account directly. Because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas. However, I will try my best to guide you as clearly as possible.  

First of all, before I can provide the steps, I need to know the specifics of your case because Microsoft has many different subscriptions. Therefore, I'd like to ask a few questions, please help me answer them: 

• Could you help me take a full screenshot of the current error message Word is displaying? 
• How are the other Office apps (PowerPoint, Excel)? Are you able to use them normally? 
• Can you currently use Word on the web? 
• Have you tried switching to another network to use it?
• Which subscription/product did you purchase from Microsoft? Please help me provide the name. 
• Please also provide your email account. 

I look forward to your support and response!  

Answer 2

If Word is showing that it is an unlicensed product despite having a paid Microsoft Office Business account, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take:

1. Check Network Connection: Ensure that your device is connected to the internet, as Office needs to verify the license with Microsoft servers.
2. Remove Office Credentials:
   • Open Credential Manager from the Start menu.
   • Go to Windows credentials and remove any credentials related to MicrosoftOffice16.
   • Disconnect any accounts listed under Access work or school in the Settings app.
   • Restart your device and try activating Word again.
3. Edit the Identity Registry Value:
   • Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity.
   • Delete the Identities folder, restart your device, and try activating again.
   • If the issue persists, create a new DWORD named NoDomainUser with a value of 1 in the same registry location.
4. Temporarily Turn Off User Account Control (UAC):
   • Change UAC settings to Never notify, restart your device, and attempt activation again. Remember to revert UAC to its previous setting afterward.
5. Reset Microsoft 365 Activation State: You can follow the guidance on resetting the activation state for Microsoft 365 Apps if the above steps do not resolve the issue.

If you continue to experience problems, it may be beneficial to contact your Microsoft 365 admin or support for further assistance.

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References:

• Microsoft 365 Apps activation Unlicensed product error
• "Microsoft Office cannot verify the license for this product" error when you start an Office app