"Subscription cancelled"

Question

When trying to use Word I'm getting a message "Subscription Cancelled" when I have had Microsoft Basic for several years and it renews automatically each November. How do I fix this issue?

Answer 1

1

The Microsoft 365 Basic subscription only entitles you to 100GB of OneDrive storage, that subscription does not include installing and using the Office apps on your PC, it is only the Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions that include installing the Office apps locally on your PC.

Microsoft 365 Basic:

https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/p/microsoft-365-basic/cfq7ttc0ktxs

Microsoft 365 Personal, Family and Premium:

https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products

2

If you were previously able to use the Office apps on your PC, log into your Microsoft account on this link to check what subscription you have and if there is any other Office licence or subscription listed there.

https://account.microsoft.com/services/

Answer 2

Microsoft 365 Basic does not include the desktop Office apps like Word. That is why Word can show "Subscription Cancelled" or remain unlicensed even if the Basic subscription is active and renewing.

To fix it:

1. Check the subscription type on Services & subscriptions and confirm it is Microsoft 365 Basic.
2. If it is Basic, use Word for the web through Microsoft 365 in a browser.
3. If desktop Word is required, switch to a plan that includes the Office apps, such as Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Family.
4. If a different Microsoft 365 subscription that includes desktop apps was renewed, close all Office apps and open them again. It may also be necessary to sign in again with the Microsoft account linked to that subscription.
5. If the subscription was just renewed and Word still shows the message, verify the renewal status on Services & subscriptions. If the expiration date is correct but the message remains, contact Microsoft Support.

If Office is not reactivated, Word can eventually run in reduced functionality mode, where documents can be opened and printed but not edited.

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References:

• No access to word - Microsoft Q&A
• Problems renewing a Microsoft 365 subscription
• A subscription notice appears when I open a Microsoft 365 application