Microsoft 365 Won't Activate On Mac
This article covers frequently asked questions about the availability of Office from the Mac App Store, and the differences between downloading Office apps directly from Microsoft.
Jun 04, 2019 Activate Office 365 versions of Office for Mac If your organization has an Office 365 plan, make sure you assign each user a license for Office before you deploy Office for Mac to your users. If you don't assign a user a license, you can still deploy Office for Mac to that user, but the user won't be able to activate and use Office. The Office apps available from the Mac App Store provide the very latest version of Office on the Mac. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook require an Office 365 subscription to activate. OneNote and OneDrive do not require an Office 365 subscription, but some premium features may require an Office 365 subscription. When downloaded from the Mac App Store, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint require an Office 365 subscription to create and edit documents. To send and receive email, Outlook requires an Office 365 subscription. You can activate an existing Office 365 subscription, or use the in-app purchase option to start a new subscription. For more information about Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise URLs and IP addresses, see the following Microsoft article: Office 365 URLs and IP address ranges. Check whether you have the appropriate license. Sign in to the Office 365 portal. Click Settings , and then click Office 365 settings. Locate the Assigned licenses area.
Starting in January 2019, the following Office applications are available for download from the Mac App Store: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote*, and OneDrive*.
* These apps were also available from the Mac App Store in previous years.
What version of Office is available from the Mac App Store?
The Office apps available from the Mac App Store provide the very latest version of Office on the Mac. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook require an Office 365 subscription to activate. OneNote and OneDrive do not require an Office 365 subscription, but some premium features may require an Office 365 subscription.
Is this the same as Office 2019?
No. Office 2019 is the one-time purchase, non-subscription product (also known as perpetual). An Office 365 subscription provides always up-to-date versions of Office apps and access to additional premium features and services. The apps available in the Mac App Store are not compatible with Office 2019 licenses.
I currently own Office 2016 for Mac and want to upgrade my version of Office. Should I download Office from the Mac App Store?
If you own the older perpetual release of Office, you can download the new version of the apps from the Mac App Store, and purchase a new Office 365 subscription using the in-app purchase option. In-app purchase offers include Office 365 Home, and Office 365 Personal. Your license from the perpetual release of Office will not work with the app versions from the App Store. Click here to learn about Office 365 subscriptions and pricing.
I already have an Office 365 subscription, and the Office apps are already installed on my Mac. Do I need to do anything?
No. It's likely that you installed Office directly from Microsoft. The Microsoft AutoUpdate app will keep your existing apps up-to-date. The apps in the Mac App Store do not provide functionality beyond what you have today.
If I download Office from the Mac App Store, do I still use Microsoft AutoUpdate to get updates?
Microsoft AutoUpdate is only used to get updates for apps that you download directly from Microsoft. If you download Office from the Mac App Store, then the App Store will provide you with future updates of Office. You may have other Microsoft apps installed on your Mac, and AutoUpdate will continue providing updates just for those apps.
Can I have multiple versions and builds of Office installed on my Mac?
No. Office 365, Office 2019, and Office 2016 use the same application and file names. To see which version of Office you have installed on your Mac, open one of the apps, and look at the License text in the About dialog.
Can I get Office Insider builds from the Mac App Store?
No. The Office apps in the Mac App Store are production releases. Insider builds must be downloaded directly from Microsoft.
How do I cancel my Office 365 free trial that I purchased through the Mac App Store?
To cancel your Office 365 free trial that you purchased through the Mac or iOS App Store, follow the instructions on this page: View, change, or cancel your subscriptions.
This link redirects to the App Store, so please open this link on a Mac, iPad or iPhone.
Note: This article applies only to Office 365 operated by 21Vianet in China.
Ready to install Office 2016 for Mac for Office 365? This article tells you how.
Requirements
To use Office for Mac 2016, you must have:
Mac OS X 10.10 or later
One of the following subscriptions:
Office 365 Enterprise E3
Office 365 Business
Office 365 Business Premium
Office 365 ProPlus
Office 365 ProPlus for Students
Office 365 ProPlus for Faculty
Office 365 Midsize Business
Office 365 Small Business Premium
Note: Office 2016 for Mac for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet is not offered through the Apple store.
Download and install Office 2016 for Mac
From your Mac, sign in to Office 365 operated by 21Vianet with your work or school account.
Go to Settings > Office 365 Settings > Software.
On the Software page, under Install Office 2016 for Mac, select Install Microsoft outlook for mac not updating messag elist. to begin downloading the installer package.
Once the download has completed, open Finder, go to Downloads, and double-click Microsoft_Office_2016_Installer.pkg.
On the first installation screen, select Continue to begin the installation process.
Enter your Mac login password to complete the installation.
After Office 2016 for Mac is installed, Word 2016 for Mac opens so you can activate Office and confirm your subscription. You should only have to do this once.
Download Microsoft 365 For Mac
Review the Word 2016 for Mac What's New screen, and then select Get started.
On the Sign in to Activate Office screen, select Sign In, and then enter your work or school account.
After you sign in, you may see an alert asking for permission to access the Microsoft identity stored in your keychain. Select Allow or Always Allow to continue.
On the next screen, choose an appearance for your Office installation, select Continue, and then select the Start Using Word button to open the app and complete the Office 2016 for Mac activation.
Need help?
Microsoft 365 Won't Activate On Mac Windows 10
If you can't complete the install after going through these steps, contact the 21Vianet support team.