How do I "Activate" Word for Mac when the original email address was deleted?

Michael Putnam 20 Reputation points
2026-07-15T10:52:58.8033333+00:00

Occasionally, Word asks me to "Activate" it, not sure why (it's been working for years). In the past, I used to just enter the email address, even though it had been deleted. But now, I'm getting a new error message "An unknown error has occurred. The error code is: 0x0."

Is there a way to change the email address that the software is registered to?

The old email account was for my small business which I've shut down. I purchased it from Google Workspace.

I'm using an old Macbook Air, running OS Catalina.

thanks,

Mike

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | MacOS
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DaveM121 933.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-07-15T11:26:54.8466667+00:00

If you have MacOS Catalina installed on your Apple device and you are seeing that 0x0 error, this forum is a user-to-user forum, some time ago Microsoft announced changes to Office licensing if you're unable to update your version of macOS on that device, the Office apps will go into Read Only Mode, they provide that information on this link.

https://support.microsoft.com/office/update-microsoft-365-or-office-on-your-macos-or-ios-device-f418ae5d-bb5f-4078-b3d9-9340f5dd084e

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