Using a Mac, Word documents are all read only.

Question

Word is read only on all documents. Have current MS 365 for Mac subscription.

Answer 1

Which version of macOS do you have? Following the July updates, Microsoft Office will only run if you have macOS 12 or later. See https://www.brandwares.com/bestpractices/2023/03/most-recent-office-you-can-run-best-practices/ and https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/update-m365-office-macos-ios .

Answer 2

Most likely causes on Mac when all Word documents open read-only even with a current Microsoft 365 subscription are:

1. Word is not properly activated
   • In Word, go to Word > About Microsoft Word.
   • Check the license type shown there.
   • If Word has lost activation, documents can open in read-only mode or show that editing is locked.
2. Sign out and sign back in with the licensed account
   • In Word, select Word > Sign Out.
   • Quit Word completely.
   • Reopen Word and sign in with the Microsoft account that has the Microsoft 365 subscription.
   • If Word was purchased through Apple, also check App Store > account name > Account Settings > Subscriptions and confirm the subscription is active.
3. Refresh the license
   • Open Word.
   • Go to Word > About Word > More Info… > Refresh License.
   • Then close Word and restart the Office apps.
4. Check whether the apps came from the Mac App Store
   • Mac App Store versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook require a Microsoft 365 subscription to activate.
   • If the installed app is from the Mac App Store and the signed-in account does not have a qualifying desktop-app subscription, Word will stay in reduced functionality/read-only behavior.
   • Also, one-time Office licenses are not compatible with Office apps downloaded from the Mac App Store.
5. Check where the files are opened from
   • Files opened directly from email attachments will open read-only until saved elsewhere.
   • Save the file first using File > Save As to a writable location such as the Documents folder, then reopen it.
   • If files are stored in restricted locations, move them to Documents and test again.
6. Install Office updates
   • In Word, select Help > Check for Updates.
   • Install available updates and restart the Mac.
7. If OneDrive storage is full, saving can fail
   • If the file is stored on OneDrive and storage is full, the document cannot be saved until storage is available again.
   • Check OneDrive free space from the OneDrive icon and Manage storage.
8. If the problem continues, remove Office license files and sign in again
   • This is useful when Word has lost activation after an update or account change.
   • Use the Microsoft steps for removing Office license files on Mac, then restart and sign in again.

If the subscription is specifically Microsoft 365 Basic, that plan does not include the desktop Word app and Word will be read-only except for web use.

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References:

• Why did my file open read-only?
• Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store
• Deploy Office for Mac from the Mac App Store
• Documents open read-only (Word for Mac) - Microsoft Q&A
• Can't edit or type in Word doc because the function is locked - Microsoft Q&A
• I just installed Microsoft 365 Personal but cannot write or save - Microsoft Q&A