now have unlicensed office products when they are suppose to be free included

Question

It appears that an update possibly occurred to my computer and i can no longer use my free included office software. I now receive error on my word and excel documents that it's unlicensed. What did they do and how can we remove and fix this back to my original free included office software such as work and excel? I rely on these services and need assistance restoring access as soon as possible.

Answer 1

Which specific Office product did you get when you purchased your computer? A prepaid subscription such as Microsoft 365 Personal? Or a perpetual license such as Office Home & Business?

If you are not sure, the retailer or the PC manufacturer should be able to tell.

You can also check the product name in the Installed Apps category in Windows Settings, of course.

Answer 2

The apps are showing as Unlicensed because the current Windows/Office installation no longer sees a valid license associated with the account or device. “Free included” Office on new PCs is usually either a time‑limited trial or requires a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription; when that expires or the license is not found, the apps fall back to Unlicensed mode and most features stop working.

Use these steps to restore access if possible:

1. Sign in with the correct account
   • Close all Office apps.
   • Go to the Subscriptions page and sign in with every personal email address that might have been used when the PC was set up or Office was first activated.
   • Under Subscriptions or Cancelled subscriptions, check whether there is an active Microsoft 365 or Office product listed.
   • If an active subscription or perpetual license is listed, reopen Word/Excel and sign in with that same account when prompted.
2. Check for multiple Office installs and remove extras
   Having more than one Office version can cause activation conflicts.
   • Open Control Panel → Programs and Features.
   • In the search box, type office.
   • If more than one Office version appears, right‑click the one that is not being used and select Uninstall.
   • Restart the PC, then open Word/Excel and sign in again if prompted.
3. Verify subscription status
   • On the Subscriptions page, confirm the subscription is not expired.
   • If it is expired, renewal is required to keep using the desktop apps; otherwise they will remain Unlicensed.
   • After renewal, restart Office apps.
4. Run the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter (Windows 10 or later)
   • Use the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter from the article to automatically detect and fix activation issues.
   • Run it on the same PC where Office is installed and follow the prompts.
5. Basic local checks if it still shows Unlicensed
   • Confirm the PC’s date, time, and time zone are correct.
   • Run Office as administrator once (right‑click Word → Run as administrator) to clear permission issues.
   • Make sure firewall/antivirus/proxy settings are not blocking Office from reaching Microsoft’s activation servers.

If no valid subscription or license appears under the Microsoft account, the “free included” Office was likely a trial that has ended, or a plan (such as Microsoft 365 Basic) that does not include desktop apps. In that case, either use the free web versions of Word and Excel or purchase/renew a plan that includes the desktop apps.

If all steps are completed and the apps still show Unlicensed, contact Office support from the article for account‑specific help.

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References:

• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• Can’t find Outlook, Access, or Publisher apps on a new PC that included Office
• No license associated with my email account - Microsoft Q&A