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The error you are seeing is related to licensing, not to the Mac hardware itself. On your new MacBook Air, Outlook for Mac verifies whether the work or school account you are signing in with includes a license that permits use of the Outlook desktop app. If the assigned license does not include desktop applications, Outlook for Mac will block sign-in and direct you to Outlook on the web instead.
Outlook may continue functioning on an existing device if it was activated earlier, but when setting it up on a new device, the license is revalidated. Alternatively, the old Mac may be using a perpetual Office version (such as Office 2019 or 2021), which does not enforce cloud license checks like Microsoft 365 apps do.
As an end user, this restriction cannot be bypassed. Please contact your organization’s IT administrator or Help Desk, share the error screenshot, and ask them to verify whether your new MacBook Air needs to be enrolled in the company management system and whether your account has a license that includes Outlook for Mac desktop access. If required, your administrator may need to upgrade your license to a plan that supports desktop applications.
If your organization does not provide a qualifying license, you can continue accessing your mailbox via Outlook on the web using a supported browser.
Please let me know how things go on your side as your update can also assist others in the community who may be facing the same issue.
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