Account can view documents but doesn't allow editing on a mac fix

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed description of the issue.

This error usually indicates that Word on your Mac is signed in with your school account, but the account is not currently recognized as having a Microsoft 365 license that includes desktop app editing on macOS. This can be caused by either a licensing change made by your school or an Office activation/cache issue on the Mac.

Please try the following steps:

1/ Verify that your school license includes desktop Office apps

Sign in to https://www.office.com using your school account and check whether you have access to install and use the Microsoft 365 desktop applications.

Some education licenses, such as Microsoft 365 A1, provide web-based Office apps only, while licenses such as Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 typically include desktop app usage.

If you're unsure which license is assigned to your account, contact your school's IT administrator and ask: "Can you confirm whether my account has a Microsoft 365 Education license that includes desktop Office apps for Mac? Word says my account can view documents but does not allow editing on a Mac."

If your school's licensing was recently changed, the appropriate license may need to be reassigned.

2/ Sign out of all Office accounts on your Mac

• Open Word (without opening a document).
• Go to Word > Settings > Account (or select your profile picture/account name).
• Sign out of your school account and any other Microsoft accounts listed.
• Close all Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
• Reopen Word and sign in again using your full school email address.

3/ Clear Office credentials from Keychain Access

Close all Microsoft Office applications.

Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.

Search for and remove entries related to:

• Office
• Microsoft Office
• ADAL
• AzureAD

Restart your Mac.

Open Word and sign in again.

4/ Test with Word for the web

As a temporary workaround, try editing documents at: https://www.office.com

• If you can edit documents in Word for the web but not in the Mac application, the issue is likely related to desktop app licensing or local Office activation.
• If you cannot edit documents in either location, your account may not have the required license or permissions.

Contact your IT admin:

If the issue continues after completing the steps above, please contact your school's IT administrator. They can verify your license assignment and, if necessary, submit a support request through Microsoft 365 Admin Center by following this guide: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn .  

If you’re unsure who your IT admin is, you can find guidance here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support.  

I hope the above steps are helpful. Should you have any further questions or require additional guidance, please feel free to reply to this thread and I'll be glad to assist.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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I have recently started getting an error message on my school microsoft account: "Your account... can view documents, but it doesn't allow editing on a Mac. To edit, use another account to activate Microsoft 365. To learn more, contact your admin about your Microsoft 365 plan."
  
How do I go about fixing this?

Contact the IT support and check with them if something has changed with regards to the license provided by the school. Maybe students have been moved to a license type which only supports use of the web apps.

You may be able to see for yourself if you sign in with your school mail at https://portal.office.com (or at some other portal provided by the school).