Unable to edit in Excel and Word (Windows 11)

Question

Unable to edit in Excel and Word (Windows 11)

Deano W 25

My Microsoft 365 Family subscription renewed in March, and I have been using Excel and Word quite fine up until this week where I am getting messages that I am unable to edit documents all of a sudden. I have tried all the usual basic fixes but I'm now out of ideas.

What do I need to do to rectify this situation please? I needed access yesterday and I and I have been trying since then to sort this.

Please help.

Moderator note: thread updated with operating system (Windows)

EmilyS726 266.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T01:05:20.2766667+00:00

What OS is this ? Windows 11, or Mac device ?

If it is Mac, what macOS version do you have?

Is your subscription purchased from Microsoft or from Apple ?
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-07-23T02:58:22.5933333+00:00

Windows 11, purchased through Microsoft.

Answer accepted by question author

Stefan Blom 351.7K MVP Volunteer Moderator

I'm now a bit confused about what email address I'm supposed to be logged in under as the page I open when I follow the above just shows 365 Basic and I paid for Family.

Since you are not consistently seeing Microsoft 365 Family when you sign in to your account, you must have multiple accounts, and only one of them is associated with the correct subscription.

What you can do is open an in private (incognito) browser window and systematically sign in to each of your Microsoft accounts. Try your various @outlook.com and @hotmail.com accounts. A third-party e-mail such as @gmail.com may also be associated with a Microsoft account.

I want to talk directly with someone about my account but that appears impossible [---]

You can try the Microsoft chat support, which can be accessed via https://support.microsoft.com/contactus . According to reports here in the forum, finding the correct support may be a time-consuming process, unfortunately.

Just to be clear, contributors here in Q&A are your fellow users. We do not have access to account info.

Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-08-10T03:35:25.2866667+00:00

Okay, so once again, I can not log into that site to get support it seems. I am trying to log in with the email address the notification of my renewal was sent to, presumably that is the one my account is associated with, but it won't let me log in with a private account! This has got to be the single most frustrating process I've encountered in years.

Is there no way I can speak with a person about this??? This situation is ridiculous to be honest.
Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T09:49:28.3066667+00:00

If this problem remains unsolved, you should unmark my reply as Accepted Answer.

Answer recommended by moderator

Deano W 25

Stefan Blom wrote:

If this problem remains unsolved, you should unmark my reply as Accepted Answer.

Thanks mate, I figured that you had actually provided a valid answer even if it didn't help me solve my issue.

I have engaged a tech support bloke from an organisation I work with, and I think he has now sorted me out, thank you for your efforts.

Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T07:49:35.95+00:00

Deano W wrote:

Thanks mate, I figured that you had actually provided a valid answer even if it didn't help me solve my issue.

I have engaged a tech support bloke from an organisation I work with, and I think he has now sorted me out, thank you for your efforts.

Thanks for the follow-up.
Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T07:54:41.46+00:00

I "promoted" your reply to an Answer so that it gets better visibility in the thread.

2 additional answers

Your answer

EmilyS726 266.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T01:05:20.2766667+00:00

What OS is this ? Windows 11, or Mac device ?

If it is Mac, what macOS version do you have?

Is your subscription purchased from Microsoft or from Apple ?
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-07-23T02:58:22.5933333+00:00

Windows 11, purchased through Microsoft.
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-08-10T03:35:25.2866667+00:00

Okay, so once again, I can not log into that site to get support it seems. I am trying to log in with the email address the notification of my renewal was sent to, presumably that is the one my account is associated with, but it won't let me log in with a private account! This has got to be the single most frustrating process I've encountered in years.

Is there no way I can speak with a person about this??? This situation is ridiculous to be honest.
Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-10T09:49:28.3066667+00:00

If this problem remains unsolved, you should unmark my reply as Accepted Answer.
Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T07:49:35.95+00:00

Deano W wrote:

Thanks mate, I figured that you had actually provided a valid answer even if it didn't help me solve my issue.

I have engaged a tech support bloke from an organisation I work with, and I think he has now sorted me out, thank you for your efforts.

Thanks for the follow-up.
Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-11T07:54:41.46+00:00

I "promoted" your reply to an Answer so that it gets better visibility in the thread.

Answer 1

LRSMTM 0

I have the Same issue Running MacOS12 Office 2021 v16.78.3. Three of my Macs Running the Same MacOS work just fine. This one when I click activate and enter User Creds returns an unknown error while trying to activate license.

Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-23T08:15:50.89+00:00

I have the Same issue Running MacOS12 Office 2021 v16.78.3. Three of my Macs Running the Same MacOS work just fine. This one when I click activate and enter User Creds returns an unknown error while trying to activate license.

@LRSMTM

You should be able to run Office on macOS Monterey if you update your Office installation to release 16.83.

If you have further questions, please start your own thread, because the current one is about Office for Windows. You can use the Ask a question option; see the screen shot below. Good luck.

Answer 2

EmilyS726 266.7K Independent Advisor

Thank you.

Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps, uninstall Microsoft 365.

Restart the computer.

Reinstall this way.

Please go to https://www.office.com

Sign into the Microsoft account you used for the subscription. Click on the 9-dot icon on the upper left > More apps.

Then on the upper right, click on "Install apps". This will now download the installer file. Once downloaded, click on the file to install. It will install the Desktop version of the apps for you then.

https://support.microsoft.com/office/download-install-or-reinstall-microsoft-365-or-office-2024-on-a-pc-or-mac-4414eaaf-0478-48be-9c42-23adc4716658

See if the issue is now cleared.

Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-07-23T04:35:36.6733333+00:00

I've tried these steps but at the "This will download installer file" step, it does not do that.
EmilyS726 266.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T04:44:01.66+00:00

What if you go to https://account.live.com > subscriptions?

Find this option

Click on Install. There will be a pop up.

Scrolldown and click on Install. It will then download the file. You can find it in your Downloads folder. It is the OfficeSetup.exe file you want to run then.
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-07-23T04:52:32.56+00:00

Again, I've followed these steps and I'm not seeing that page at all. I'm now a bit confused about what email address I'm supposed to be logged in under as the page I open when I follow the above just shows 365 Basic and I paid for Family. I am going around in circles here I feel.
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-07-23T05:01:21.85+00:00

I have tried a few methods and used both email addresses I have used with this account and now I'm being told I can't use a private email address and to "sign in with a school or work account"!! What the actual heck is going on? I have changed nothing and this just started happening, I'm getting beyond frustrated now.
EmilyS726 266.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-23T05:09:06.0433333+00:00

Are you sure you are paying for family? Basic won’t come up with the apps. That’s why.

Do you have payment record you can go back to on your credit card to see how much you paid?

I also felt you might have left out some details when you said you tried a few methods. What methods to be exact? You said both accounts. Are they both personal accounts?

I also don’t know the context when you got the sign in with work school account message. It will be helpful if you tell me exactly where or what website you go to when that happens.
Deano W 25 Reputation points

2026-08-05T04:08:56.1433333+00:00

Okay, I thought I stated from the outset that I was paying for family, I have been using it perfectly fine up to this point. I have checked all my payments out and yes, it has been paid for in March this year.

Context wise, I do what I've always been doing, open up a document that I've previously created using this account and tried to edit it, but I am being told that I don't appear to have permission to do so and would I like to upgrade.....no, I don't because I've already paid for it. Again, this is the way everything involving Microsoft 365 had always worked for me until recently.

The "few methods" I have tried are every suggested fix that I've been advised of on this forum including signing out of all accounts on all devices, uninstalling and re-installing the program (several times actually, it would work for a day then cause exactly the same problem next time I tried to use it). Honestly, why is it so hard to get a resolution on this matter? I want to talk directly with someone about my account but that appears impossible, Microsoft can take my money but can't provide support, that's a really poor arrangement indeed and is galling to me. Why is this so hard???