Word for Mac not working, cannot update or reinstall

LKN 20 Reputation points
2026-07-14T15:07:32.6733333+00:00

I know this problem is being reported by a lot of Mac users today. Word is opening in read-only mode and I cannot reactivate my 365 subscription. The fixes that are being suggested in other posts do not work for me: I cannot update Word and I cannot reinstall it, because my OS is Monterrey and the installer only works on newer OS. No OS updates are available for me. It's a 7-8 year old macbook which is still in perfectly good condition, please tell me I don't need to buy a new computer just to keep using my office subscription! Logging out and logging back in makes no difference. Please help!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | MacOS
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Answer accepted by question author
EmilyS_726 29,750 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-07-14T15:31:38.2+00:00

For macOS Monterey 12, Microsoft 365 is no longer supported for current updates.

The August 2024 release, version 16.88, was the final Office build supporting Monterey. An existing installation may continue to work, but it will not receive security updates, fixes, or new features. Current Microsoft 365 and Office 2024 installations require macOS Sonoma 14 or later.

You will need to uninstall it. And install the downgraded version (16.88) here: https://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.88.24081116_Installer.pkg

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