no licence found

Question

hi,

when opening Excel, it states "failed activation". Apparently my licence is no longer valid, but I only bought it in July 2025.

Please advise

Answer 1

Hi Wandie,

Here to advise :)

Can you get us a screenshot of https://account.microsoft.com/services page as step 1?

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Answer 2

Follow these steps to resolve the “failed activation / no license found” issue:

1. Confirm the correct account and license
   • Go to the Microsoft account services page: Subscriptions.
   • Sign in with the same email address used when Excel/Office was purchased in July 2025.
   • Verify that an active Microsoft 365 or Office license that includes the desktop apps (for example, Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, or a perpetual Office license) is listed and not expired.
   • If only a Microsoft 365 Basic subscription is shown, that plan does not include the right to install desktop Office apps; it only provides OneDrive storage and web apps. In that case, Excel on the desktop will continue to show activation errors.
2. Sign in to Excel with the same account
   • Open Excel.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • Under User Information, sign out of all accounts.
   • Close Excel, reopen it, and sign in with the same account that shows the valid Office/Microsoft 365 license on the Subscriptions page.
3. Update or refresh the license in the app
   • In Excel, go to File > Account.
   • Use the option to Update license or similar (depending on version), then sign in again with the licensed account.
4. Check for multiple Office installations
   • On Windows, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Apps & features).
   • If more than one version of Office/Microsoft 365 is installed, uninstall all but the one associated with the current subscription, then restart the device and open Excel again to activate.
5. If activation still fails
   • Make sure Office is fully updated (see Install Office updates).
   • If the account shows no valid license for desktop apps or the product key has been blocked, contact the seller for a refund and obtain a genuine license. If the key was bought separately from the software, it may have been fraudulently obtained and later blocked.
   • If everything appears correct but Excel still reports no license, contact Office support from the article’s Still need help? Contact Support section.

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References:

• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• "Product key is not valid" error when activating Office
• No license associated with my email account - Microsoft Q&A
• When opening Word or Excel, getting a 'subscription canceled' message but I have renewed my Office subscription - Microsoft Q&A