How to Fix Office 365 Activation Issue? Basic-to-Advanced Solutions (Windows & Mac)

Microsoft Office 365 activation issue happens when the online connection between your device and Microsoft licensing servers gets disturbed.

Leading to common error codes such as “Unlicensed Product”, “0x8004fc12”, “Error 0x0”. But what do these Office 365 errors mean? We will cover that in the upcoming section.

The burning question is “How to fix Office 365 activation errors?” Simply apply the handpicked easy, proven solutions to fix Office 365 activation issues on Windows and Mac.

So, let’s activate Microsoft Office 365!

A best-rated software by MVP with an average rating of 4.8 stars based on 2615 reviews.

Why is My Office 365 Not Working?

Here are the reasons behind “Why does Office 365 fail to activate?”

• Outdated Cache Credential: The device you’re using has an outdated password or a credential for a different MS account.
• WAM (Web Account Manager) Corrupted: Your built-in Windows component that manages sign-ins is experiencing glitches.
• Multi-Factor Authentication Glitches: You recently enabled modern or Multi-Factor Authentication on your PC. Causing technical confusion between the MFA and the older desktop apps.
• SCA (Shared Computer Activation) issues: IA common Office 365 activation failure occurs in enterprise environments when using Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), Terminal Servers, or Citrix.
• Network/Firewall Blocks: Your firewall or proxy is restricting the traffic to “activation.sls.microsoft.com”.

And here are the common Microsoft 365 error issues and solutions.

How to Fix Office 365 Activation Issues on Windows?

Windows users can use the following easy fixes to tackle the 365 Office activation problems. They will help you know how to activate how to Office 365 Windows 11 without errors.

Basic Troubleshooting Steps

• Ensure your Microsoft 365 Subscription is Active: An expired or inactive Office 365 subscription is the key to MS Office 365 activation failing. To check your account subscription status, go to office.com >> log in.
• Sign-in Again: Reddit/X (formerly Twitter) users have accepted that exercising “sign out and sign back in” has fixed the “Office 365 activation not working” problem. To do so, open Word>> select File >> click Account >> Sign Out. Restart your PC >> Open Word again >> sign back in.
• Sync your PC and Microsoft servers’ date & time: Since SSL certificates require an accurate system clock, it becomes a “must” that your PC and MS server stay in sync. Simply, select Clock on your taskbar >> Adjust date/time >> turn off Set time automatically.
• Use Online Repair: Another life-saver fix to get rid of the “Office 365 not activating” error. To run an online repair. Go to Settings >> click Apps >> select Installed Apps (or “Apps & features”). Find & select MS 365 installation >> click Modify >> hit Online Repair (not Quick Repair). It will reinstall the main files.
• Download Microsoft SaRA Tool: MS Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) is a promising tool to resolve activation problems. It can be a quick saviour as it automates the wiping out of corrupted registry keys. Download the tool >> click Office >> select “I’ve installed Office, but I can’t activate it.”

SysTools Recommends: Resolve TPM Error in Office 365 Cloud: Step-by-Step Guide.

Advanced Troubleshooting Steps

• Clear the Credential Cache

Clearing the credential cache is an effective solution to remove the Office 365 activation errors in Windows 11. So, if your PC is still glued to the Ghost/old credential, this fix will act as a technical nuke.

To clear the credential cache:

1. Open Windows Start Menu >> enter Credential Manager >> click Windows Credential.
2. Find “MicrosoftOffice15”, “MicrosoftOffice16”, or “msteams”>> Click the drop-down arrow next to them >> Hit Remove.

Finally, reboot your PC and try signing into Office 365 again. If it fails, you might need to reset the WAM & AAD Broker.

• Reset the WAM & AAD Broker to Default Settings

“Endless Sign-in Loop” (login box flashes and vanishes) is a signature of corrupted WAM (Windows Account Manager). As we discussed briefly above, if your Web Account Manager (the native sign-in manager) gets corrupted, you will come across “activation error Office 365”.

To reset & fix WAM, open PowerShell as an Administrator >> copy-paste the given command:

f (-not (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin)) { Add-AppxPackage -Register “$env:windir\SystemApps\Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -ForceApplicationShutdown } Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin

• Wipe out Identity Registry Keys

Identity Registry Keys can also get corrupted and end up causing hurdles in Office 365 activation on Windows. But you can quickly clear out the unwanted Identity Registry Keys within a few clicks.

Steps to clear out Identity Registry Keys

1. Press Windows Key+R >> type “regedit” >> hit Enter key.
2. Go to “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Identity”
3. Lastly, delete the complete “Identities” folder.

This process will remove the corrupted IR keys and recreate them when you sign in.

How to Fix the Microsoft Office Won’t Activate on Mac Error?

Here are the proven solutions that respond confidently to “How to fix office activation failed on Mac?”

Basic Troubleshooting Steps

• Reboot your Mac and Try Activating Again: Rebooting the Mac fixes 365 Office activation issues by removing active memory (RAM), temporary system caches, and background processes. So, restart your Mac and try reactivating!
• Check Multiple Accounts: You could encounter Microsoft 365 activation errors on Mac because of multiple accounts. Check whether another account from your organization is logged in or not. If you access an enterprise/school account in parallel to a personal one, it might confuse Mac Office. Therefore, it is important to know whether you’ve signed it with the main account (which holds the software license) or not.

• Force Quit and Re-authenticate: Sometimes, minor glitches and bugs can prevent you from activating Office 365 on Mac. In such cases, force-quitting Microsoft 365 on Mac can prove helpful. To do so,

1. Click the Apple Logo >> select Force Quit >> close all the Microsoft apps (Word, Teams, Outlook, etc.)
2. Next, open any MS app like Word >> select “Word” (top menu bar) >> click Sign Out.

Now, you have to shut down the app and relaunch it. Sign in with the linked email to check whether the problem is resolved or not!

Remove Office Credentials from Keychain Access: It has been seen that macOS sticks to Ghost passwords. Resulting in curveballs like “Microsoft Office won’t activate on Mac”. To fix this, follow the given steps:

1. Open Spotlight Search (press Command + Space key) >> copy-paste “Keychain Access”.
2. In the Keychain Access Search bar (top-right) >> enter “Office”.
3. Next, remove the following files. Make sure you have the Mac admin password.
   “Microsoft Office Identities Cache”
   “Microsoft Office Identities Settings’
   “Microsoft Office Tickets Cache”

Finally, power off your Mac and turn it on again. If these basic troubleshooting steps are unable to fix the “Office 365 won’t activate on Mac ” problem, apply the upcoming advanced fixes.

Also Check Out: Microsoft 365 vs Office 365 Comparison & Difference Explained!

Advanced Troubleshooting Steps

• Reset OneAuth Credentials Via Terminal

Microsoft’s modern authentication cache can break or freeze your sign-in prompt. This situation narrows down to resetting the OneAuth credentials. Here’s how you can reset the MS authentication cache:

1. Press Command + Space key >> type/search Terminal.
2. Copy-paste the following command into the terminal > hit Return (Enter).

“`bash defaults write com.microsoft.Word ResetOneAuthCreds -bool YES

• Reset “PrivilegedHelper” Tools Permissions

If your Mac’s security permissions get damaged, you can face an Office activation problem. It blocks the license file from being written to your disk. Still, it can be fixed by following the simple steps below:

1. Open Finder (top menu) >> select GO >> click Go to Folder.
2. Type /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools . ser-Dartmouth.
3. In this folder, click the red “Stop” icon >> select Get Info.
4. Lastly, hit the Padlock icon (at the bottom) >> Insert your Mac password >> switch “Everyone” to “Read & Write.”

• Download Official Microsoft License Removal Tool

You might not know that if you upgrade from Office 2019 to Microsoft 365, the old license will restrict the new one. However, using the robust License Removal Tool for Mac can settle down the Mac offline issues.

1. Download the official MS License Removal Tool for Mac.
2. Run the “.pkg” file >> follow the on-screen instructions. It will extract the Office license from your PC.

Now, you know how to activate Office on Mac.

Author’s Verdict

As we mentioned above, the Microsoft Office 365 Activation error takes place when the connection between the device and MS licensing servers gets disrupted.

The established connection can be disturbed due to various reasons in Windows and Mac. But the good news is that restoring it is not a tough job. By applying the basic-to-advanced methods in this blog post, you can get rid of the Office 365 activation problem.

So, apply the proven methods and enjoy Office 365 seamlessly!

Hot Reads: How to get Microsoft 365 for free? 4 Easy Methods

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q.1 How do I fix Office 365 activation?
You can fix the Office 365 activation issue by restarting the PC, removing cached credentials, and using dedicated Microsoft tools (license removal for Mac, SaRA).

Q.2 How to activate Office on Mac using Terminal?
Here are the steps to activate Office 365 on Mac using Terminal:

1. Close all open Office 365 apps >> open Terminal >> gain root privileges by typing “sudo -s”.
2. Insert local Mac password >> Force load the Microsoft licensing helper plist file.
3. Type: “launchctlload-w/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist”
4. Copy-paste “chmod 4755 /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper. This will fix directory permissions for the helper tools folder.
5. Lastly, close Terminal >> Open Word >> sign-in.

Q.3 How to resolve the Office 365 activation issue on Windows 11?
To settle down the Microsoft Office 365 activation issue on Windows 11, consider the following basic and advanced troubleshooting tips.

• Check Microsoft 365 subscription status.
• Sign-in Again
• Sync PC and Microsoft Servers Date & Time.
• Use the Microsoft SaRa tool.
• Wipe out cached credentials.
• Reset Windows Account Manager using PowerShell

Q.4 Microsoft Office not working on Mac after update?
Try signing out >> rebooting device >> signing in or deleting cached credentials. This fix can resolve the MS Office 365 not working on Mac after the update.

Q.5 How to activate Microsoft 365 on Mac?
Activate Microsoft 365 on Mac by applying the steps below:
Open any Office Application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) >> click Get Started.
Click Sign >> insert account credentials >> grant permissions.
Follow on-screen steps >> once verification is done, hit Start using [Word/Excel]