my microsoft excel 2013 keeps sending an error message that my email account is not associated with my subscription even after I verify with a code they send. what do I do?

Question

My Excel 2013 indicates that I need to activate my account before 4/10. When I do so by signing in, verifying through codes sent to email, phone etc. I then get an error message stating that the email is not associated with my account. What do I do?

Answer 1

The error means the Microsoft account being used to sign in is not the one that the Office 2013 license is associated with, or there is no qualifying license for the desktop apps on that account.

Follow these steps in order:

1. Confirm which account actually has the Office license
   • Go to the Microsoft account Services & subscriptions page: Subscriptions.
   • Sign in with each personal email address used with Microsoft in the past (and any work/school account if applicable).
   • Look for an entry such as Office 2013, Microsoft 365 Personal/Family, or another Office product that includes the right to install desktop apps.
   • If the only subscription listed is Microsoft 365 Basic, that plan does not include the right to install Office apps on a PC; it only provides OneDrive storage and web apps. In that case Excel 2013 cannot be activated with that subscription.
2. Sign into Office with the correct account
   • Close Excel and any other Office apps.
   • Reopen Excel 2013.
   • When prompted to activate, sign in using the same account that showed the valid Office license on the Services & subscriptions page.
   • If Excel says “We couldn’t find any Office products” or “email not associated with your subscription,” that account does not have a qualifying license.
3. Check for multiple Office installations
   • Having more than one Office version installed can cause activation conflicts.
   • Uninstall any extra or trial versions of Office, then restart the computer and try activation again with the correct account.
4. If activation still fails
   • Use the “Troubleshoot activation” guidance for the Office version: see the “Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office” article and follow the steps for Office 2013/2016-era products.
   • If none of the accounts show a qualifying Office license, a new license or subscription that includes desktop apps (for example, Microsoft 365 Personal or Family) is required to continue using Excel on the desktop.

If the correct account is confirmed to have an active subscription that includes desktop apps and Excel 2013 still refuses to activate, contact Microsoft Support for account/license correction.

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References:

• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office
• Why do I need an account to sign in to Microsoft 365 or 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