Not able to update license key for office 365 due to account locked

Question

I am not able to update teh license key for office 365, it says to login but the account has been locked out.

Answer 1

Hello, good day and thanks for question. Sorry to know about this and to add to the above, in this scenario you can go through the link below that says "To check your account status or reactivate your account, go to the Microsoft services account reset page via https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/concern/AccountReinstatement and follow the on-screen instructions" and wait for the update on the unblock request that you have submitted.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/reactivate-an-account-that-has-been-blocked-08e0c662-384e-40ab-876e-6ffa35a547a6

Answer 2

To update the Office 365 (Microsoft 365) license, the Microsoft account used in the apps must be active and signed in. In this case the account is locked, so the license cannot be updated until access to the account is restored.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Confirm the correct account and subscription
   • For home use, the account must have an active Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription.
   • Check the subscription status at the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services/ (from another browser/profile or device where sign-in is possible with that account).
   • If the subscription is expired, renew it first.
2. Unlock the locked Microsoft account
   • If, when trying to sign in, there is no Next button and a message about the account being locked appears, follow the aka.ms/ link shown in that window.
   • Complete the account reinstatement form as instructed. A Microsoft Online Safety support agent will review the request and contact by email. Do not submit multiple forms, as that can slow down processing.
   • If prompted for verification codes and they are not received, follow the guidance in Troubleshooting verification code issues linked from the lockout article.
3. Try alternative verification methods
   • If SMS verification is available, use any phone that can receive text messages; it does not need to be associated with the account. The code expires after 10 minutes.
   • If there are issues with the code (e.g., “usage limit exceeded”), wait and try again later or use a different phone number.
4. After the account is unlocked
   • Sign in to the Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, etc.) with the same Microsoft account that owns the subscription.
   • In an app, go to File → Account → Update License, and ensure the signed-in account shown there is the one with the active subscription.
   • If prompted for a product key, ignore it and choose to sign in instead; Microsoft 365 home subscriptions use the Microsoft account for activation, not a product key.

If the account cannot be unlocked using the online steps, contact Microsoft Support using another account (or a newly created one) and provide details so they can assist with account recovery.

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References:

• Microsoft account has been locked
• Using product keys with Microsoft 365
• I get a "Couldn't Update License" error in Microsoft 365
• When opening Word or Excel, getting a 'subscription canceled' message but I have renewed my Office subscription - Microsoft Q&A