Having Trouble with lisencing issue

Question

I can no longer access my documents because it says my licencing has run out and i am unable to access these files. They have gone to read only format. I have no idea how to change this and really need your help. Please can you contact me please

Answer 1

Which Office product do you have? If you have a subscription, sign in to your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services and check the status. Does it say that the subscription is active?

If everything is correct in your account, see if signing out of the Office apps and signing back in makes a difference.

Answer 2

Is the 365 subscription a personal subscription or a business (organization) one?

@hotmail.com would be a personal account.

@scscontractsolutions.com is a business account, I suppose. Business accounts are separate from personal accounts and you would have to manage the subscription via https://admin.microsoft.com .

Answer 3

The documents are opening read-only because the Office/OneDrive licensing or activation is no longer valid. When a Microsoft 365 or OneDrive account becomes unlicensed or an Office app is not activated, files can only be opened in read-only mode until the license is fixed.

Use these steps to restore editing access:

1. Check Office activation status
   • Open Word on Windows.
   • If the title bar shows Unlicensed Product or similar, follow the activation guidance in the app.
   • Make sure to sign in with the same account that owns the subscription or license. If the wrong account is used, Office shows messages like “We couldn't find any Office products.”
   • For detailed activation troubleshooting, see: Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office.
2. Confirm the subscription is active
   • Go to the Microsoft account or Microsoft 365 subscription page (as described in the activation article) and verify that the Microsoft 365 or Office subscription is still active and not expired or canceled.
   • If the subscription has expired, renew it. Once renewed, restart Word and select Update license (File → Account → Update license) if available.
3. Check if OneDrive is unlicensed or in read-only mode
   • If the files are stored in OneDrive for work or school, the OneDrive account may be unlicensed.
   • An unlicensed OneDrive account can be moved into read-only mode, where files can only be viewed or downloaded, not edited or uploaded.
   • After 60 days without a valid license, OneDrive enters read-only mode; after 93 days, it goes into archive mode and files can no longer be accessed.
   • To restore full access, contact the organization’s IT administrator and request that a valid license be assigned to the account. Once the license is assigned, OneDrive and file editing will be restored.
4. If OneDrive is full
   • If the files are on OneDrive and storage is full, new changes cannot be saved.
   • Check OneDrive storage by selecting the OneDrive icon in the notification area and choosing Manage storage, or by signing in to OneDrive on the web and checking used space.
   • Free up space or purchase additional storage, then try saving again.
5. General repair steps if activation still fails
   • Restart the computer.
   • Install Office updates.
   • Perform an Online Repair of Office from Windows’ Apps & Features.
   • Ensure the internet connection is working so activation and license checks can complete.

Direct contact from support cannot be initiated here. For further assistance, use the Contact support options in the activation article or contact the organization’s IT support if using a work or school account.

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References:

• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• What happens when your OneDrive account becomes unlicensed?
• Why did my file open read-only?