Can't activate Word

Hello, good day and thanks for your question. I understand that you are having an issue with regards to the Microsoft 365 which is specifically on Word which is not activated.

May I check and confirm as well if your subscription is directly purchased from Microsoft or this is under Apple?

On a Mac, this usually happens when either the activation didn’t complete correctly, the wrong license type is being used, or the apps were installed from the Mac App Store but the subscription/license doesn’t match.

Try these steps in order:

1. Fully quit Word and other Office apps
   • On the menu bar, select Word (and for any other Office app that’s open) > Quit.
   • Then reopen Word and check if editing is enabled.
2. If still prompted to activate, reset Office credentials and license on macOS
   1. Open Spotlight (magnifying glass in the top-right of the screen).
   2. Search for and open Keychain.
   3. In Keychain search box, type Office.
   4. Find and delete the data license entry for Office.
   5. Run the Office license removal tool as described here: Run the license removal tool.
   6. Restart the Mac, open Word again, and sign in with the account that owns the active Microsoft 365 subscription.
3. Check that the correct type of Office for Mac is installed
   • If Word/Office was installed from the Mac App Store, it requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to create and edit documents.
   • One-time (perpetual) licenses such as Office 2019/2021 Home & Student or Home & Business do not work with Mac App Store versions and will stay in reduced functionality mode with messages like “Action Required: We’ve detected a one-time purchase license.”
   • If using a one-time license, uninstall the Mac App Store versions and install Office for Mac directly from Microsoft instead.
4. If you own multiple licenses
   • If there are several Office/Microsoft 365 licenses on the same account (for example, an old one-time license plus a new Microsoft 365 subscription), remove old license files using the license removal tool, then sign back in and let Word pick up the correct subscription license.

If, after these steps, Word still sends you back to a “buy subscription” page, the account being used likely does not have an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription for desktop apps, or the installed app source (Mac App Store vs Microsoft download) does not match the license type.

References:

• What to try if you can't install or activate Office for Mac
• Microsoft Office activation and the Mac App Store