office 365 family renewal sharing

The subscription renewed correctly for the subscription holder account, but the shared member account (wife’s account) is not picking up the active license.

Use these checks and steps:

1. Confirm the subscription is active
   • Sign in with the subscription holder account at the Microsoft account Services & subscriptions page: https://account.microsoft.com/services/
   • Verify that the Microsoft 365 Family subscription is shown as active and renewed, and that it is a Family (or Premium) plan, not Basic or Personal.
   • If it is not active, resolve the renewal first using the guidance in Problems renewing a Microsoft 365 subscription.
2. Confirm sharing status and that a share slot is available
   • Still signed in as the subscription holder, check the Microsoft 365 Family sharing dashboard (via the subscription details).
   • Ensure:
     • The subscription is Microsoft 365 Family or Premium (only these can be shared).
     • There is at least one share available (can share with up to five others).
     • The wife’s Microsoft account is listed as a member of the family group and as a person the subscription is shared with.
   • If she is listed but the portal says she is already on the plan and will not send a new invite, that means the system still considers her part of the shared subscription.
3. Make sure the correct account is used in Office on her PC
   • On her computer, open Word (or another Office app) and go to File → Account.
   • Check which email address is shown under User Information and Product Information.
   • If it is not her Microsoft account that is in the family group, sign out of all accounts in the Office app, close all Office apps, then reopen and sign in with the correct Microsoft account (the one that received/should receive the Family share).
   • In the same Account page, use any Update license or Sign in option to refresh the license after signing in with the correct account.
4. If the subscription still shows as canceled in the apps
   • First, verify again online (with her Microsoft account) that she is indeed part of the subscription holder’s family group and that the subscription is active and shared to her.
   • If confirmed, in the Office apps on her PC:
     • Sign out of all accounts in Office.
     • Close all Office apps.
     • Reopen Word/Excel, sign in only with her Microsoft account that has the shared subscription.
     • Use File → Account → Update license (or equivalent) to force a refresh.
5. About uninstalling/reinstalling Office and her files
   • Uninstalling and reinstalling Office does not delete personal documents (Word, Excel, etc.) stored in her user folders or OneDrive. Those files are separate from the Office apps.
   • If needed, Office can be uninstalled and reinstalled after confirming her documents are safely stored (for example in Documents, Desktop, or OneDrive). The key is to sign back into Office with the correct Microsoft account so it picks up the shared subscription.

If, after these steps, the portal still says she is already on the plan but the apps say “subscription canceled,” the next step is to:

• Remove her from the family group/sharing list as the subscription holder.
• Add/share to her again so she receives a fresh invitation, which she must accept with the same Microsoft account used in Office on her PC.

References:

• Problems renewing a Microsoft 365 subscription
• Troubleshoot sharing a Microsoft 365 subscription
• Share your Microsoft 365 Family or Premium subscription
• When opening Word or Excel, getting a 'subscription canceled' message but I have renewed my Office subscription - Microsoft Q&A