For Office on Mac, activation is done from an Office app:
- Open Finder > Applications.
- Open an Office app such as Word.
- In the What’s New window, select Get Started.
- On Sign in to activate Office, select Sign in.
- If the sign-in prompt does not appear, open a blank file and go to File > New from template > Sign in.
- Enter the email address associated with the Microsoft 365 subscription or Office purchase.
- Enter the password for that account.
- If a valid license is found, Office activates.
If activation fails on Catalina, use these checks:
- Confirm internet access by opening a browser and loading
https://www.microsoft.com.
- Make sure the correct Microsoft account is being used. If needed, sign out and sign in again with the account associated with the subscription or purchase.
- Verify the account has a license:
- Sign in to
https://account.microsoft.com/services
- Select Install Microsoft 365 or Office
- If a license is listed there, that is the correct account to use for activation.
- Reset Office credentials:
- Open Spotlight
- Search for and open Keychain
- Search for Office
- Delete the data license file
- If Office is activated but still keeps prompting, quit the app, reopen it, and if the problem continues, run the license removal tool and then sign in again.
- If Office keeps asking to sign in or shows Authentication Expired, make sure Office is in the default /Applications folder.
If the apps were downloaded from the Mac App Store, that can also block activation for a one-time Office license. One-time licenses such as Office 2019/2016 are not compatible with Office apps downloaded from the Mac App Store. Those licenses only work with Office apps downloaded directly from Microsoft.
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