How to remove a Microsoft 365 license I didn't pay for or need without disturbing my Office Professional 2021?

Question

Microsoft has inserted their license for Microsoft 365 on my computer and I haven't received emails since 3/12/26. I try to switch the license to my Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for which I purchased a license. In updates, I have a setting of never update Microsoft 365, but this keeps happening whenever I access a work sharepoint that uses Microsoft 365. I open every document with my app, but now I can't change it back to my own license.

Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

Thanks, Janice. So there is no subscription at the Services page?

1. When you sign in to a Microsoft 365 Business account in Outlook, Word, SharePoint, or even through a browser, the Office apps temporarily retrieve the license linked to that account.
2. This license is then applied to the Office apps on that device, allowing them to activate and run with full functionality.
3. The license remains active as long as the account stays signed in and the device can periodically verify the license online.

I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Otherwise, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

Answer 2

Hi Janice,

Uninstall Microsoft 365 and 2024 is recommended using the SARA tool and then reinstalling 2024 typically resolves the issue in cases like these. I laid the detailed steps here:

https://www.yourwindowsguide.com/2026/02/how-to-uninstall-microsoft-office.html

Office 2021 should be in your account here.

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

Standard 3rd party link disclaimer:

There may be links to non-Microsoft websites that provide accurate and safe information. Watch out for ads on websites frequently classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). There is no need to buy paid products to fix your computers, as they sometimes do more harm than good.

Answer 3

Microsoft 365 and Office Professional 2021 use different licenses, and conflicts can occur if a Microsoft 365 license is present or picked up from work resources (like SharePoint). To get back to using the Office Professional 2021 license and stop Microsoft 365 from taking over, follow these approaches depending on device type.

1. If using a Mac: remove Microsoft 365 license files

If the device is a Mac and Microsoft 365 for Mac licensing is interfering with a perpetual Office license, remove the Microsoft 365 license files and then reactivate Office 2021:

1. Before starting, have the Office Professional 2021 product key or the Microsoft account used to purchase/activate it ready.
2. Use the Office license removal tool for Mac. This tool completely removes all Microsoft 365 for Mac licenses from the device.
3. After running the tool, open any Office app (for example, Word) and sign in or enter the product key for Office Professional 2021 to reactivate it.

This is especially useful if a previous Microsoft 365 subscription or trial is still being used by Office instead of the Office 2021 license.

2. If using Windows: uninstall Microsoft 365 so only Office 2021 remains

If the device is a Windows PC and Microsoft 365 (or a Microsoft 365 trial) is installed alongside Office Professional 2021, Office may try to use the Microsoft 365 license instead of the perpetual one. Removing Microsoft 365 from the PC forces Office to use the Office 2021 license.

Use the Microsoft 365/Office uninstall troubleshooter:

1. On the same Windows PC where the issue occurs, run the uninstall troubleshooter from the "Uninstall" link in the documentation.
2. When prompted, choose to uninstall Microsoft 365 (and any trial or subscription versions listed). This tool supports uninstalling Microsoft 365, Office 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016.
3. Restart the computer when the troubleshooter asks.
4. After restart, ensure Office Professional 2021 is installed. If needed, reinstall it using the steps in the "Download and install or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a PC or Mac" article linked from the same documentation.

Important notes from the documentation:

• The uninstall troubleshooter cannot uninstall Office 2024, but it does work for Microsoft 365 and Office 2021.
• If the troubleshooter does not completely remove Microsoft 365, use the manual uninstall steps in the "manually uninstall Office" article linked from the same page.
• If Microsoft 365 remains installed, Office may continue to pick up the Microsoft 365 license instead of the Office 2021 license.

3. When Microsoft 365 is already installed and blocking features

If Microsoft 365 subscription features are not behaving correctly or the wrong license is applied, the recommended fix is also to completely uninstall Microsoft 365 and then reinstall only the product that should be licensed (Office 2021 in this case). The same uninstall support tool and reinstall steps apply.

4. Why email stopped and subscription notices appear

If Outlook is using a Microsoft 365 subscription license that is expired or has billing problems, it can show subscription or account notices and eventually go into reduced functionality mode. In that state, editing and some send/receive capabilities can be limited. Removing the Microsoft 365 license (or uninstalling Microsoft 365) and ensuring Outlook is running under the Office Professional 2021 license resolves this, provided the email account itself (Exchange/IMAP/POP) is still valid.

After removing Microsoft 365 and confirming Office 2021 is active, re-open Outlook and verify that send/receive works and that no Microsoft 365 subscription warnings appear.

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References:

• How to remove Office license files on a Mac
• Can’t switch from Microsoft 365 to Office
• Microsoft 365 subscription features aren't available in Office apps
• A subscription notice appears when I open a Microsoft 365 application