Help update my word document

Question

I had been using my word document all along but yesterday I try opening it and I was told to update it using my email address, which I did, but had been stressful. This is because I am being told the email I used is not matching the account. Could you please help me fix this issue.

Answer 1

Hi @Malaak Kwai

To help me better understand the issue, could you please clarify the following: 

• Is your copy of Office associated with a personal Microsoft account, such as an Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Gmail address, or was it provided by your employer, business, school, or university? 
• What is the exact message displayed when you try to open or activate Word? 
• If possible, please share a screenshot of the message. Before posting it, make sure to hide your email address, product key, organization details, and any other personal information. 

You can also open Word and go to File > Account, then let me know what appears under Product Information, such as Microsoft 365, Office 2021, or Unlicensed Product. Please do not post the full email address shown there. 

In the meantime, here are a few steps you can try: 

1. Sign out of all accounts in Office 

• Open Microsoft Word. 
• Go to File > Account. 
• Under User Information, select Sign out for every account listed. 
• Close Word and all other Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 

2. Repair Office 

• Close all Office applications. 
• Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps. 
• Locate Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office. 
• Select the three dots beside it and choose Modify. 
• Run Quick Repair first. 
• If the problem continues, return to the same location and run Online Repair. Please note that Online Repair requires an Internet connection and may take longer to complete. 
• 
• For more details, please refer to: Repair an Office application

3. Sign in with the account associated with the license

• Reopen Word. 
• Go to File > Account > Sign in. 
• Enter the email address originally used to purchase, activate, or receive Office. 
• If Office was provided by an employer, school, or university, use the work or school email address assigned by that organization. 

4. Clear saved Office credentials

Please note that this step may sign you out of Office applications on the computer. 

• Open the Start menu, search for Credential Manager and open it.
• Select Windows Credentials. 
• Under Generic Credentials, look for entries containing names such as MicrosoftOffice or Microsoft Office. 
• 
• Expand each relevant entry and select Remove. 
• Restart the computer after removing the old Office credentials. 

Please remove only credentials clearly related to Microsoft Office. Do not remove unrelated Windows or application credentials 

I hope these steps help resolve the issue effectively. If the problem persists, please feel free to reply with any additional information.

Answer 2

Open Word and check File → Account → Product Information to find the exact work or school account to which Office is licensed, then activate Word with that account rather than retrying the email address that was rejected.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Microsoft 365 for business")

Identify and use the licensed account

1. Open Word. If no document opens, create a blank document.
2. Select File → Account.
3. Under Product Information, note:
   • the Office product name;
   • the account shown as the license owner.
4. If Word is signed in with a different account, select Sign out, close all Office applications, reopen Word, and sign in with the account displayed under Product Information.
5. For Microsoft 365 Business, this should normally be the work or school account assigned by your organization, not a personal email address.

This sign-in activates Word; it does not alter or delete the document.

If the account is correct but Word remains unlicensed

Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to verify that your user account has a license containing the desktop Office applications:

1. Open the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. Go to Users → Active users.
3. Select your user.
4. Open Licenses and Apps.
5. Select the appropriate Microsoft 365 license and choose Save changes.^2^

After the license is assigned, close and reopen Word, then sign in with that same work account. If your subscription is Business Basic, note that the administrator should confirm what apps the subscription provides before expecting desktop Word activation.

If you cannot identify or access the displayed account

Contact your organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator. The administrator can retrieve your work username, reset its password, and confirm whether a Microsoft 365 license is attached. If self-service password reset is enabled, use:

https://passwordreset.microsoftonline.com/

Microsoft Support cannot directly change account details or send password-reset links on your behalf.[^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Microsoft 365 for business")

If the license is confirmed but activation still fails

Run Microsoft’s activation troubleshooter on the affected PC:

1. Windows must be Windows 10 or later.
2. Open the Microsoft 365 activation troubleshooter from the Microsoft support page.
3. When prompted, allow the page to open Get Help.
4. Complete the automated tests and recovery actions on the same computer where Word is installed.^3^

Avoid uninstalling Word or deleting credentials until the licensed account and assigned license have been confirmed.

---

References

1. [Microsoft 365 for business](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])
2. Assign or unassign licenses for users in the Microsoft 365 admin center
3. Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office | Microsoft Support