Subscription not recognised when opening Word

Nico B 0 Reputation points
2026-07-16T09:08:39.68+00:00

Hello, I have an active Microsoft 365 account but for the past few months after turning off my laptop every time I open Word I get this message: "Subscription Required to Edit and Save. Start your free one month trial of Microsoft 365 or sign in to activate existing subscription".

I then need to click on "activate" and go though a very boring process of authentication before I'm finally able to sue the program. This doesn't happen with any other programs in the Microsoft 365 package - I use Excel daily without any problems.

How can I make sure my account stays recognised for Word?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For home | Windows

2 answers

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  2. Lucus-V 10,425 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-16T18:32:07.4166667+00:00

    Hi Nico B,

    Since Excel remains activated while Word repeatedly asks for a subscription, this is more likely a Word activation or sign-in cache issue than a problem with your Microsoft 365 subscription itself.

    The additional error message, "An unknown error has occurred. The error code is: 0x0", also suggests there may be a problem with cached sign-in credentials or Office activation data on the device.

    Please try the following:

    1. Check for Office updates
      • In Word, go to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
    2. Check the account used in Word
      • Open Word.
      • Go to File > Account.
      • Verify that you're signed in with the Microsoft account that owns the Microsoft 365 subscription.
    3. Sign out and sign back in
      • Sign out of all Office apps.
      • Close all Office applications.
      • Restart the PC.
      • Sign back in with only the licensed Microsoft account.
    4. Clear Office credentials
      • Open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials.
      • Remove any entries related to Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365.
      • Restart Windows and sign back in to Office.
    5. Repair Microsoft 365
      • Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.
      • Select Microsoft 365 > Modify.
      • Run Quick Repair.
      • If the issue persists, run Online Repair.

    If the problem persists, please feel free to let me know.

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