need help with sharing my subscription

Question

I shared my subscription and its been working for years now all of a sudden it stop working for the person I shared with. When they open word or excel, it says to activate.

We uninstalled everything and I resent them an invite and they set it up and it still doesn't work. Need to talk with someone.

Answer 1

Hi,

There was an update to Microsoft 365 and Office on macOS starting July 13, 2026: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/update-m365-office-macos-ios

What is the current version of macOS you are using? Make sure your Mac is updated and running macOS 12 or later.

To check for updates, go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update, then click Update Now. Apply all available updates.

Then, also check if your Office apps are updated to the latest version.

Close all Office applications and open Microsoft AutoUpdate by going to Finder > Applications > Microsoft AutoUpdate. Select Update All, or update Word individually if an update is available. Once the updates are complete, open Word again and try activating it.

If you installed Word from the Mac App Store, open the App Store, select Updates, and update Microsoft Word or select Update All.

If your Mac cannot be updated to the required macOS version, you can use Microsoft 365 on the web or use Office on a different supported device.

Answer 2

Try these checks in order:

1. Confirm the shared person is still using the same Microsoft account that accepted the invitation.
   • In Word or Excel, go to File > Account and check the signed-in account.
   • A common cause is an account mismatch, which can make Office show Activate or ask to buy a subscription.
2. Verify the sharing status.
   • The subscription holder must be the one sharing an active Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.
   • On the Services & subscriptions page, if Share subscription is not available, the account does not have an eligible family subscription.
   • The shared person also cannot already be part of another shared subscription.
3. Recheck the invitation state.
   • The invited person must accept the invitation and join the Microsoft family group.
   • If the invitation email was not received, check that the preferred email address was used and check the junk mail folder for a message with Microsoft 365 in the subject.
4. If the apps still show activation after reinstalling, remove the person from sharing and share again.
   • This is specifically recommended if the subscription expired and was renewed, because access may need to be removed and then re-shared to the family group.
5. If the subscription was renewed recently, verify the renewal completed successfully.
   • Check the subscription expiration date online.
   • If the renewal status does not look right, contact Microsoft Support.
6. To talk to someone:
   • For Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, use Contact support: contact support.
   • Another support path is Contact Microsoft Support: Contact Microsoft Support, enter the problem, select Get Help, and then select Contact Support.

If the shared person was removed from the family group or sharing stopped, their files stay intact, but these benefits expire: 1 TB OneDrive storage, full desktop Office app use, editing and creating documents, and access to the Family inbox and Family calendar in Outlook.com.

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