Office365 Abruptly Updated and New "Update License" Option Appears- Unsure What to Do

it seems like a bug because on both my computer (which uses my credentials for Word) and my family laptop (which uses my mother's credentials for Word), I decided to click Update License and input the email address associated with their Office365/Microsoft accounts

it did absolutely nothing. so I restarted Word and Office, and then even restarted my computer. nothing changed at all

I'll leave it for a few days to see if the subscription is about to play up, but the sudden appearance of this Update License option, followed by the fact that it does literally nothing, seems to be a bug

HamAndHands,

You're not the only one having this problem. I encountered it on both my '23 MacBook Pro and my '19 iMac Pro. In mid-January I started seeing the appearance of the "Update License" in the Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications. It hasn't affected my ability to use any of these apps but is more of an annoyance, since each of my two Office Home and Business 2021 for Mac software products are licensed to me and have been trouble-free since they were purchased in July and August 2023.

I too feel there was a software bug introduced in a Microsoft Office update introduced in January 2024. I've spent many hours removing and reinstalling the Office Software, running the Office License Removal Tool and reactivating the software, all to no avail. The most recent suggestion was to uninstall the product and install an older version. That ran into some peculiar issues and did not fix the Error Code: 44 problem.

I had posted to a couple of threads here on the "answers.microsoft" website, but decided to start my own thread to track my efforts and progress on the resolution of this error issue. Here's the link for that thread: Update License Error Code: 44 Issue. It's very interesting to me that you only had the issue on one computer, and then, after immediately after updating the software on your laptop, you began having the same problem there. In my opinion, that is proof that the Update License Error Code issue is triggered in the course of a software update from Microsoft. I'm so happy you documented that experience! After rereading your posting, and the subsequent replies from the advisors/respondents, one thing that is not clear to me is whether you're using Office 365 on a Mac or PC. Looking at RonBarker's reply, his recommendation includes windows and HP ProBooks. And the Office Home and Business product is listed as 2019 ro 2013. Those are no longer supported in the Macintosh environment. And if you are on a PC and getting the same "Update License" message, that means that it's a cross-platform problem and likely to have many, many users affected. That would certainly improve the chances for a timely resolution! Please let me know via a reply regarding whether you're PC or Mac, and Thanks!!!!

Hopefully, as the number of Office users with this identical problem continues to increase, the responsible software engineers at Microsoft will be engaged in the fix that's required.

Don in Ohio

I am now seeing this on multiple computers. I initially thought it was being triggered just on Dell PCs that have run the just released TPM2.0 Firmware Update. It did happen immediately on one Dell PC after running that update. Update License was not there, ran the TPM2.0 update, rebooted and the message immediately appeared.

I just checked my own Microsoft 365 license (non Dell PC) and the same message is now there. I am also signed in on a Dell laptop that had a BIOS update yesterday but no separately listed TPM2.0 update. (Laptop has a TPM1.2 chip)

If you click on 'Update License' and enter your associated email it then does nothing except say you are activated.

So far Microsoft 365 does not act like it's unlicensed.

Microsoft 365 Build 17231.20194 C2R

I am purely on PC, I have no Mac products; one important detail is whether or not inputting your Microsoft credentials into the "Update License" option actually does anything for you?

like I said, clicking Update License and then putting in my associated Microsoft details, absolutely nothing happens. not even after an Office365 restart or computer restart, on both devices

is this also your experience?

Hello! Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Community. The "Update License" option that you are seeing is related to the licensing of your Office 365 subscription. It is normal for Office to update itself automatically, and this option may have appeared due to a recent update.

Regarding your concern about updating the license using your credentials, it is recommended that you use the credentials associated with the subscription to avoid any issues. If your Office subscription is managed under your parent's account, you may need to contact them to obtain the necessary credentials to update the license.

If you are still unsure about what to do, you can contact Microsoft support for further assistance. They will be able to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.