365 Family cannot complete install

Question

365 Family cannot complete install

Roger Bell 0

I purchased 365 Family thru Amazon, successfully installed it on my iMac and when I send an invite my MacBook using an email it as received by the MacBook Pro. When I accept the invitation it tells me that I already joined a Microsoft 365 Family. However, the window is the same window that is open on the iMac telling me to share and that I've shared 0 of 5 available subscription. The MacBook Pro is running Tahoe 26.6.1. Both the iMac and MacBook Pro use the same Apple ID.

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-16T18:40:44.4766667+00:00
Hi, @Roger Bell

Microsoft 365 licensing is tied to the Microsoft account, not the Apple ID.

To help narrow down the issue:

Are you the person who will use Microsoft 365 on both the iMac and MacBook Pro?

Is the email address you invited a different Microsoft account from the account that owns the Microsoft 365 Family subscription?

On the MacBook Pro, if you sign in to your Microsoft Family page, does it show that account as already belonging to another family group?

If both Macs are for your own use, you do not need to share the subscription with yourself. You can install Microsoft 365 on the MacBook and sign in with the same Microsoft account that owns the Family subscription.

If the MacBook is for another person, they should use their own Microsoft account.

I would hold off on uninstalling Office until the accounts involved are confirmed.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!

1 answer

Your answer

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-16T18:40:44.4766667+00:00

Hi, @Roger Bell

Microsoft 365 licensing is tied to the Microsoft account, not the Apple ID.

To help narrow down the issue:

Are you the person who will use Microsoft 365 on both the iMac and MacBook Pro?

Is the email address you invited a different Microsoft account from the account that owns the Microsoft 365 Family subscription?

On the MacBook Pro, if you sign in to your Microsoft Family page, does it show that account as already belonging to another family group?

If both Macs are for your own use, you do not need to share the subscription with yourself. You can install Microsoft 365 on the MacBook and sign in with the same Microsoft account that owns the Family subscription.

If the MacBook is for another person, they should use their own Microsoft account.

I would hold off on uninstalling Office until the accounts involved are confirmed.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!

Answer 1

For a Microsoft 365 Family share on the MacBook Pro, use the invited Microsoft account to verify that the share was actually added, then install from that account.

On the MacBook Pro, open the invitation again and sign in with the same Microsoft account that received the Family invite.
After accepting, go to the Microsoft account Services & subscriptions page and check whether Microsoft 365 appears there.
If it appears, select Install from that page and install Office on the MacBook Pro.
When an Office app opens, sign in with that same Microsoft account to activate.

If the MacBook Pro says it already joined Microsoft 365 Family but the organizer account still shows 0 of 5 shared, the most likely issue is that the wrong Microsoft account is being used during acceptance or activation. Sign out and sign in again, and if prompted, choose Sign in with another account. A useful check is to search email accounts for the Microsoft confirmation or invite message to identify the exact Microsoft account tied to the subscription.

If Office was previously installed on the MacBook Pro and it keeps reverting to an old or expired license, remove the existing Office apps, restart, then reinstall from the invited account’s Services & subscriptions page. If Office installs but stays in view-only mode or keeps prompting for activation, quit the app, reopen it, and if needed reset the Office credentials in Keychain by searching for Office and deleting the data license file.

For Mac-specific activation issues, there are also reports tied to recent Mac updates. If the MacBook Pro still cannot activate after reinstalling, remove Office license files on the Mac and then reinstall from the account page.

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