Microsoft Office License Issue

Question

I previously purchased the Microsoft 365 subscription, but decided I didn't want to renew it every year, so I purchased the 2024 Microsoft Office license yesterday. When I downloaded it today it says that my Microsoft 365 account is expired (it is, but I'm not using it anymore, that's why I purchased the permanent license). When I log in to my Microsoft account through Word, it says it can't find a license and I need to purchase Microsoft 365 and that my Word documents are read only. It's only recognizing my expired Microsoft 365 subscription, and isn't recognizing the one-time purchase of the 2024 Office license. When I log in to my microsoft account, it shows that I purchased the license yesterday.

Answer 1

Hello,

Please use the instruction here: https://support.microsoft.com/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193 Download and run the license removal tool to clear the cached old license. See if that helps.

Answer 2

The Office apps are showing as Microsoft 365 and read‑only because the installation is not currently activated with a valid, associated license. The “Microsoft 365 account is expired” message indicates that the apps are still tied to an old or non‑active subscription instead of the new purchase.

Use these steps to resolve it on Mac:

1. Confirm the correct license is on the account
   1. Close all Office apps on the Mac.
   2. In a browser, go to the Microsoft account Subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services.
   3. Sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used when redeeming or purchasing Office 2024.
   4. Under Subscriptions or Cancelled subscriptions, verify that the new Office/Microsoft 365 product appears and that it is active, not expired.
      • If nothing is listed or it shows as expired, the account is not correctly associated with a valid license and the purchase must be checked with the seller.
2. Make sure the Office apps are signed in with that same account
   1. Open Word on the Mac.
   2. Go to the account/profile area and sign out of all accounts shown in Word.
   3. Quit Word and any other Office apps.
   4. Reopen Word and when prompted, sign in using the same Microsoft account that shows the active subscription or license on the Subscriptions page.
   5. Check that the “Unlicensed Product” or subscription‑expired messages disappear and that editing is enabled.
3. If activation still fails
   • Follow the general activation troubleshooting flow for “Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office”: ensure sign‑in with the correct account, verify subscription status, and then proceed to the activation troubleshooting steps for the installed Office version.

If the product that was sold is described as “Professional Plus” or similar, or was obtained from a third‑party marketplace, it may be a volume license that is not valid for individual home use. In that case, the key may not properly associate to a personal Microsoft account, and the issue must be resolved with the seller.

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References:

• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• Download, install, or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac
• Office error "Account Notice: We've run into a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription"
• Microsoft 365 subscription features aren't available in Office apps
• We purchased, through Groupon, a 2024 Office program. After about 30 days it stopped working. We believe it is due to a 30 day 'time out' feature in the program that must be over ridden. How can we resolve this problem? - Microsoft Q&A
• installed MS office 2024, got 2021, how to fix this? - Microsoft Q&A
• I purchased Office Professional 2024 and downloaded it, but when I click on any of the Apps to update they say Office Pro 2021 - Microsoft Q&A
• Why does office 2024 home for mac require activating microsoft 365 subscription? - Microsoft Q&A
• http://offline.officeapps.live.com/outage.html - Microsoft Q&A
• A subscription notice appears when I open a Microsoft 365 application
• Users might receive a Product Deactivated error in Microsoft 365 Office apps