Help; with accessing excel on my subscription

Question

I need to help with my office for macOS subscription which won't let me access Excel. I am a casual user and am finding your help screens impossible to follow and they are extremely circular

Answer 1

Hi, Michael58

Since the subscription was purchased directly from Microsoft, Excel should activate using the Microsoft account linked to that purchase. Also, from July 13, 2026, older Office versions on Mac can enter reduced-functionality mode, even when the subscription is active.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Sign in to Microsoft account Services & subscriptions and confirm that Microsoft 365 is shown as active. Make sure you use this exact email address in Excel.

Open Excel, select Excel > Sign Out, close all Office apps, restart the Mac, then reopen Excel and sign in again. If prompted, choose Sign in with another account.

In any Office app, select Help > Check for Updates and install all available updates. The Mac should be running macOS 12 or later, and Office must be version 16.83 or later for the licensing update introduced on July 13, 2026.

If Excel still shows no license, use the official Office license removal tool for Mac, restart the Mac, and sign in again. This clears old or damaged activation information.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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