We are getting a message that our Microsoft 365 subscription do not allow editing in Mac?

Hi,

Based on the message "Your account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac", it usually indicates that the Microsoft 365 account currently signed in is either not assigned a license that includes the desktop Office apps for Mac, or Office for Mac is activated with a different account than the one that holds the license.

To help narrow down the cause, I would suggest checking the following:

1/ Verify the Microsoft 365 license assignment:

First, please confirm that the affected user has a Microsoft 365 license that includes the desktop Office applications. Examples include:

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft 365 Apps for business
• Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
• Office 365 E3/E5
• Or another equivalent plan that includes desktop Office apps

You can review the assigned subscriptions by signing in here: https://portal.office.com/account/?ref=Harmony#subscriptions and reviewing the Licenses section.
Additionally, if the license was assigned or changed recently, it may take some time for all licensing services to update. While this is often much quicker, certain Microsoft 365 features can take up to 24 hours to become fully available.

It's also worth noting that some Microsoft 365 plans only provide access to Office on the web and do not include editing rights in the installed desktop apps. As part of the activation process, Office for Mac verifies whether the signed-in account has a qualifying license.

2/ Confirm that Office is using the correct account:

Next, please make sure that Excel and the other Office applications are signed in with the account that owns the Microsoft 365 license.

You can try the following steps:

• Open Excel.
• Select Excel > Sign Out, or choose Use Another Account if that option appears.
• Close all Office applications.
• Reopen Excel.
• Sign in again using the licensed work or school account.

Sometimes Office remains connected to an older or personal Microsoft account, which can prevent proper activation.

3/ Check how Office was installed:

Another possibility is that Office was installed from the Mac App Store.

If that's the case, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint generally require a Microsoft 365 subscription to create and edit documents. In contrast, certain perpetual or volume-license versions of Office may not work correctly with the Mac App Store edition.

Therefore, if your organization uses a volume license or a one-time Office purchase, it may be worth uninstalling the App Store version and reinstalling Office using the official Microsoft installer.

4/ Refresh the Office activation status:

If the licensing appears correct, refreshing the activation information may help.

I recommend the following:

• Sign out of all Office applications.
• Quit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and any other Office apps.
• Restart the Mac.
• Open Excel again and sign back in with the licensed account.

In the meantime, if the user needs immediate access to edit files, you can use Excel for the web through: https://www.office.com.

This can provide editing access while the licensing or activation issue is being investigated.

Should the issue remain unresolved, I would recommend contacting your organization's IT administrator. They can verify the user's license assignment directly within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and, if necessary, open a support request with Microsoft for further investigation: 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 this helps point you in the right direction. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or would like clarification on any of the steps above.

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