All my word documents are now read only

Question

Word is asking me to sign in to 365. The application defaults to an older email and does not let me sign in with others. Additionally, it can no longer find a licence.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

To help narrow down the issue:

1. When did this start happening? What changed before it started (update, reinstall, new device, etc.)?
2. Are you using Microsoft 365 or a one-time purchase?
3. When you open Word, what email is shown under File > Account? What exact message do you see about the license?

Also, when you go to https://account.microsoft.com/services and sign in, do you see an active Office/Microsoft 365 subscription there? Which email are you using on that page?

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Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

Word documents opening read-only and prompts to sign in with an old email, plus “no license found,” indicate that the account currently signed into Office does not have a valid license for the desktop apps.

Use these steps to resolve it:

1. Confirm which subscription or license actually exists
   • Go to the Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services
   • Sign in with each personal Microsoft email address that might have been used to buy Office/Microsoft 365.
   • Verify:
     • That a valid Microsoft 365 Personal/Family subscription or a perpetual Office license (such as Office Home & Business) is listed.
     • That it is not just a Microsoft 365 Basic subscription, which only includes 100 GB OneDrive and web apps and does not license the desktop apps.
2. Make sure Office is activated with the correct account
   • Open Word.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • Under Product Information, check which account is shown as the license owner.
   • If it shows Unlicensed Product or the wrong email:
     • Sign out of that account from the Account page in Word.
     • Close all Office apps.
   • Reopen Word and when prompted to sign in, use the email that:
     • Shows an active Microsoft 365 Personal/Family or Office license on the Services & subscriptions page.
3. Fix “no license associated with this email” / activation errors
   • If the email used in Word shows “no license associated” but the subscription is active online, follow the activation guidance in Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office:
     • Step 1: Sign in with the right account (the one where the subscription appears under Services & subscriptions).
     • Step 2: Check for multiple copies of Office installed and remove extras.
     • Step 3: Confirm the subscription has not expired.
4. If the only subscription is Microsoft 365 Basic
   • Microsoft 365 Basic does not allow installation or activation of the desktop Word app; it only provides OneDrive storage and web versions of Office.
   • In that case, either:
     • Use Word on the web via a browser, or
     • Purchase/activate a Microsoft 365 Personal/Family subscription or a standalone Office license, then sign into Word with that licensed account.

Once Word is signed in with an account that actually has a valid Office/Microsoft 365 license, the “Unlicensed Product” state will clear and documents will stop opening as read-only.

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References:

• Why did my file open read-only?
• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• I get a "Couldn't Update License" error in Microsoft 365
• I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365
• No license associated with my email account - Microsoft Q&A
• Can't sign in to microsoft 365 desktop apps - Microsoft Q&A
• I just bought Office for Home and Business and now "No license found" - Microsoft Q&A