excel. subscription demand

Question

your office licence2021 is not supported with this version of the application.

never had this before now wants a subscription

can no longer save

Answer 1

This is being widely reported with the Office apps on a Mac at the moment follow these steps, step 3 is very important.

1

Use the steps provided on this link to remove the Office licence from your Mac:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-activation-licensing/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac

2

Uninstall the Office apps using the steps provided on this link:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/lifecycle/officeinstall/uninstall-office-for-mac

3

Then download and install the October 6th version of Office for Mac from this link.

https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/mro1cdnstorage/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.113.26100421_Installer.pkg

Answer 2

Update macOS first and then update Office 2021 because outdated Mac/Office combinations now enter reduced-functionality mode, preventing Excel from editing or saving even with a valid one-time license. ^1^

1. Update macOS, then Excel

1. Select Apple menu → System Settings → General → Software Update.
2. Install the available macOS update and restart.
   • The documented minimum is macOS 12 Monterey, although Microsoft normally supports Office on the three most recent macOS releases.
3. Open Excel and select Help → Check for Updates.
4. In Microsoft AutoUpdate, select Update All.
5. When updates finish, quit Excel completely with Command+Q, reopen it, and test saving.

For the current reduced-functionality issue, Office 2021 requires at least version 16.83. A Microsoft 365 subscription is not required to continue using a valid Office 2021 perpetual license. ^1^

If the Mac cannot run macOS 12 or later, it cannot install the required Office update. The supported alternatives are installing Office 2021 on a supported Mac or PC, upgrading the device, or temporarily using Excel for the web. Office 2021 itself reaches end of support on October 13, 2026. ^1^

2. Reactivate the Office 2021 license

If Excel remains locked after updating:

1. In Excel, select Excel → About Microsoft Excel.
2. Check whether it identifies the product as Office 2021 rather than Microsoft 365.
3. Quit Excel with Command+Q.
4. Reopen Excel, sign out under its account settings, and sign back in using the Microsoft account associated with the Office 2021 purchase.
5. If offered a choice of licenses, select the one-time-purchase/Office 2021 license.
6. Restart Excel and test File → Save As.

3. If Excel came from the Mac App Store

A one-time Office license cannot activate Word, Excel, or PowerPoint downloaded from the Mac App Store; those builds require a Microsoft 365 subscription for editing. The apps must instead be installed directly from Microsoft. ^2^

1. Close all Office applications.
2. Open Finder → Applications.
3. Control-click Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, then select Move to Trash.
4. Download the Office 2021 for Mac Installer from Microsoft: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2158744
5. Run the downloaded package.
6. Open Excel and activate it with the Microsoft account holding the Office 2021 purchase.

The Microsoft 365 Insider program is also not supported for Office apps installed through the Mac App Store; Insider builds must come from Microsoft’s distribution channel. ^3^

4. Reset licensing only if activation is still wrong

This removes every Office license stored on the Mac, so first ensure that the Office 2021 account credentials are available.

1. Quit every Office application.
2. Download Microsoft’s License Removal Tool: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=849815
3. Open the .pkg file and complete the wizard. Enter the Mac administrator password if requested.
4. Open Excel and sign in with the account associated with Office 2021.
5. Select the Office 2021 one-time license if prompted.
6. Restart the Mac. ^4^

Before closing the currently edited workbook, copy any unsaved changes somewhere temporary, because reinstalling or quitting Excel will discard changes that cannot presently be saved.

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References

1. Update Microsoft 365 or Office on your macOS or iOS device | Microsoft Support
2. Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store | Microsoft Support
3. Deploy Office for Mac from the Mac App Store
4. How to remove Office license files on a Mac | Microsoft Support