Licence naming and functionality

Question

When querying my licence in Mac excel it lists my licence as Microsoft 365 Subscription but I need to be sure this is the same as my paid for Microsoft 365 Family Subscription. I appear to be missing some Table functionality in Mac Excel. I am signed in with the correct account but do I need to force an update somehow?

Answer 1

Exactly what functionality do you believe is lacking? If you're comparing to Excel for Windows there is a good probability that those features are not included in the Mac version of Excel. What you see on the Table contextual tab is all there is:

Answer 2

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

If you haven't tried anything yet:

• Make sure you're signed in with the same Microsoft account that the subscription is linked to.
• Open any Microsoft 365 app such as Word. > At the top of the screen, select Word (or the app name) in the menu bar. > Select About Word. > Click More Info… > Select "Refresh License".
• After that, close any open documents and completely restart all Microsoft 365 apps so the license refresh can take effect.

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If issue still persists:

If you haven't already, I’d suggest is to uninstall any existing Office apps on your Mac to avoid conflict:

• Here are the steps: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193

Then, to reinstall Microsoft Office:

• Go to https://account.microsoft.com/services
• Sign in using the same Microsoft account linked to your license.
• Find your Microsoft 365 Subscription and click the "Install".
• That will download the installer for the Office apps, just run it and follow the steps.

If anything’s unclear or the "Install" option still doesn’t show, feel free to let me know. I’ll be happy to walk you through it!

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I really hope this information is helpful! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 3

In Excel for Mac, seeing “Microsoft 365 Subscription” in the license info is normal and is consistent with having a Microsoft 365 Family subscription, as long as the signed-in account is the one that owns the Family subscription. The Family/Personal branding typically appears in the account/subscription portal, while the app itself usually just shows “Microsoft 365 Subscription.”

To confirm the license and ensure all features (including table functionality) are available and up to date, follow these steps:

1. Verify the subscription is active and tied to the signed-in account
   • Go to the Microsoft account dashboard → Subscriptions:
     Subscriptions.
   • Confirm that Microsoft 365 Family is listed as active for the same Microsoft account used in Excel.
2. Confirm Excel is signed in with the correct account
   • In Excel for Mac, check the account shown in the top-right corner and under Excel → About Excel → Account (or File → Account depending on version).
   • If needed, sign out of any other accounts and sign back in with the account that has the active Microsoft 365 Family subscription.
3. Update Office for Mac
   • Use Microsoft AutoUpdate to ensure Excel is on the latest version. If subscription features are missing after an update, it can be because the app is still using an old or one-time-purchase license.
   • If you previously had a one-time purchase of Office on this Mac, the app might still be using that license instead of the subscription. In that case, remove old license files using the license removal tool described here:
     How to remove Office license files on a Mac, then restart Excel and sign in again with the Microsoft 365 Family account.
4. If subscription features still don’t appear
   • After confirming the subscription is active, the correct account is signed in, and old licenses are removed, restart the Mac and Excel.
   • If features are still missing, repeat the sign-out/sign-in cycle in Excel’s Account page to force a license refresh.

These steps ensure that Excel for Mac is using the Microsoft 365 subscription license (including Family) and that subscription features are enabled.

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References:

• Microsoft 365 subscription features aren't available in Office apps
• Update Office for Mac automatically
• How to remove Office license files on a Mac
• What Microsoft 365 business product or license do I have?