Microsoft 365

Question

Could I please speak to a human who could help me? I have installed Microsoft 365 according to the instructions but when I go to open an older document, it tells me "You must have Microsoft 365 subscription to open this document."

I don't know what Parent and Child mean.

Please help!

Answer 1

Hi Marcie Watson

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum! I understand how confusing and frustrating it is to install Microsoft 365 and then see that error message.

Just to confirm, when the message appears, are you opening the file in Word/Excel, or in Outlook?

Here are some steps that you could try before contacting Support team:

1. Make sure Office is activated

• Open Word or Excel (any Office app).
• Go to File > Account.
• Under Product Information, check whether it shows: Microsoft 365 Subscription – Activated.
  • If it shows Unlicensed or View‑only, continue to Step 2.

Or sign in to your Microsoft account's services & subscriptions page and confirm your Microsoft 365 subscription is listed and active. If it’s not listed, you’re likely signed into Office with a different account.

2. Confirm you are signed in with the right Microsoft account

• In the same Account page, look at the top-right corner.
• If multiple accounts appear, select Sign out from all of them.
• Sign in again using the same email address you used to buy Microsoft 365.

You can see this official guide for activation steps: Activate Office for Windows - Microsoft Support

3. Repair Office apps

Please follow the steps in this official guide: Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support

For more details, you can also see: Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office - Microsoft Support

4. Contact Support Team directly

Once you’ve tried the steps above, you can reach out directly to the Microsoft Support team. It may offer live chat and, depending on your subscription/region, an option to request a callback:

• Go to Contact - Microsoft Support
• Type a brief description of your issue in the search box.    
• Click "Get Help", then scroll to the bottom and select "Contact Support”.
• Choose the appropriate Products & Services/ Category.
• Look for and select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) or a similar callback option (if available). Explain your situation clearly.

Feel free to let me know how it goes! I truly appreciate your time and understanding.

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Answer 2

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

Are you able to see your MS365 subscription under the Services & subscriptions page here: https://account.microsoft.com/services (make sure you’re signed in with the same Microsoft account you used to buy Office)?

If you can see it there and it is active, please follow these steps below.

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Before installing, it’s a good idea to uninstall all existing versions of Office to avoid conflicts.

Here’s how:

• Open the Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
• Look for any version of Microsoft Office or Office apps, right-click, then choose Uninstall. Please uninstall all Office apps.
• Once that’s done, restart your computer just to be safe.

Then, to reinstall Microsoft Office:

• Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services again.
• Sign in using the same Microsoft account linked to your license.
• Find your Microsoft 365 subscription and click the "Install".
• That will download the installer for the Office apps, just run it and follow the steps.

If anything’s unclear or the "Install" option still doesn’t show, feel free to let me know. I’ll be happy to walk you through it!

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I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Regards,

John J.D.