Excel activation

Question

Excel activation

Richard Stewart 0

I cannot activate excel - I keep getting the message "An unknown error has occurred. The error code is: 0x0"

0 comments

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Gunasekar N 74,630 Independent Advisor

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

May I please know the edition of Microsoft Office applications installed on your device?
May I please know the Version of MacOS running on your PC?

Note -

Microsoft has recently issued a notice that older versions of Office, such as Office 2019 and earlier, as well as macOS versions 11 and earlier, can no longer be updated. If you are running any of these versions, you may need to update your Mac or Office to the latest supported versions to continue editing files on your desktop version of Office.

Currently, the supported version of Office can only run on macOS 12 or later and requires Office 2021 or a newer version.

*

Office 2021 for Mac will reach its end of support on October 13, 2026. If you are planning to upgrade to a newer version, consider switching to Office Home 2024 or Office 365 Personal or Family Subscription.

Reference:

Unknown Error 0x0 or License not found error in Microsoft 365 or Office running on macOS

Richard Stewart 0 Reputation points

2026-07-27T04:17:40.98+00:00

I am running macOS Big Sur 11.7.11

Not sure what version of office but the Word version is 16.59 and I think my version of office is no longer supported. I wish they told me this before they charged me for the licence for the coming year.

Does this mean I need to update my hardware s my MacBook Air states it has the most recent software loaded.

Thanks for your assistance.
Gunasekar N 74,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-27T04:21:21.1466667+00:00

Hi,

Yes, to run Office applications, you need macOS 12 or later. Since your MacBook Air cannot be updated to a supported version of macOS, you will need to switch to a newer MacBook that can run macOS 12 or later.

As of September 2025, the three most recent major versions are macOS Tahoe (26), macOS Sequoia (15), and macOS Sonoma (14).
Richard Stewart 0 Reputation points

2026-07-27T04:28:01.4466667+00:00

many thanks for your assistance
Gunasekar N 74,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-27T04:38:37.59+00:00

Hi, glad I could help!

If all is resolved, feel free to rate this thread. Otherwise, please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.