I cannot share my 365 Family MS software with another device (macOS)

Question

I cannot share my 365 Family MS software with another device (macOS)

Susan SW 0

On March 12 2026 I renewed my MS365 Family subscription for another year. In July 2026 Excell & Word stopped working on another device I owne. It won't save new information. Why?? Trying to ta;lk to a human is impossible. AI does not address my problem and hangs up after giving me a useless link that is not addressing my problem. HELP!!

Moderator note: thread updated with the correct operating system (macOS)

Stefan Blom 352K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-04T17:47:17.1466667+00:00

On March 12 2026 I renewed my MS365 Family subscription for another year. In July 2026 Excell & Word stopped working on another device I owne. It won't save new information. Why??

If the problem is only with a particular device, ensure that you are signed in with the correct Microsoft account in your Office apps on that device. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/subscriptions/sign-in-to-microsoft-365 .
Susan SW 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T20:23:14.0233333+00:00

Stefan.....I assume you are an AI response. I explained everything in my message that I have MS 365 Falmily subscription that will renew on March 12th 2027. On or about the 18th of July 2026 on another computer that my son uses. I am allowed 5 devices to share Word & Excell but the 18th of July-approx 2 months ago that computers Excell stopped saving new information on a spreadsheet. In my ACCOUNT, I have identified the email that my son has on that computer and he has accepted it but the moving circle to download whatever MS is downloading goes around and around forever. It's not working. I need a human to help me with this problem. I am not getting what I am paying for. This is a problem I believe with Microsoft not my computer.

My other computer is working on version 12.7.6 HELP contact me ******@gmail.com
Susan SW 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T20:43:16.2466667+00:00

I paid my subscription IN FULL for my MS Family 365 on 3/12/2026. It will not be renewed until 3/12/2027.

On July 18th, 2026, on my other computer Excell & Word stopped workings. I can open them up the programs but I cannot add and save new information in Excell. And with Word, I cannot write anything on it or save what I have written. I am unable to print it also. I was able to use the two programs before July 18th, 2026. The two programs stopped working 2 months ago. WHY? I need to talk to a human and not AI that is not addressing this important issue that I need to resolve. I am 100% up to date on my MS 365 Family account. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stefan Blom 352K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-16T23:23:06.37+00:00

@Susan SW

Stefan.....I assume you are an AI response.

Replies written by AI bots have the user name "AI answer." The rest of us who contribute here are real people; I assure you.

Forum contributors are not Microsoft support staff, though, meaning that we do not have access to any account or billing information.

My other computer is working on version 12.7.6

This is an important piece of information. You posted in the Windows section. If you are running macOS, the Microsoft update that was released mid July changed everything, I'm afraid. You must now run at least macOS 12 on all your Mac devices; otherwise Microsoft Office won't activate.

I'll update the thread info to reflect your operating system.

2 answers

Your answer

Stefan Blom 352K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-04T17:47:17.1466667+00:00

On March 12 2026 I renewed my MS365 Family subscription for another year. In July 2026 Excell & Word stopped working on another device I owne. It won't save new information. Why??

If the problem is only with a particular device, ensure that you are signed in with the correct Microsoft account in your Office apps on that device. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/subscriptions/sign-in-to-microsoft-365 .
Susan SW 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T20:23:14.0233333+00:00

Stefan.....I assume you are an AI response. I explained everything in my message that I have MS 365 Falmily subscription that will renew on March 12th 2027. On or about the 18th of July 2026 on another computer that my son uses. I am allowed 5 devices to share Word & Excell but the 18th of July-approx 2 months ago that computers Excell stopped saving new information on a spreadsheet. In my ACCOUNT, I have identified the email that my son has on that computer and he has accepted it but the moving circle to download whatever MS is downloading goes around and around forever. It's not working. I need a human to help me with this problem. I am not getting what I am paying for. This is a problem I believe with Microsoft not my computer.

My other computer is working on version 12.7.6 HELP contact me ******@gmail.com
Susan SW 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T20:43:16.2466667+00:00

I paid my subscription IN FULL for my MS Family 365 on 3/12/2026. It will not be renewed until 3/12/2027.

On July 18th, 2026, on my other computer Excell & Word stopped workings. I can open them up the programs but I cannot add and save new information in Excell. And with Word, I cannot write anything on it or save what I have written. I am unable to print it also. I was able to use the two programs before July 18th, 2026. The two programs stopped working 2 months ago. WHY? I need to talk to a human and not AI that is not addressing this important issue that I need to resolve. I am 100% up to date on my MS 365 Family account. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stefan Blom 352K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-16T23:23:06.37+00:00

@Susan SW

Stefan.....I assume you are an AI response.

Replies written by AI bots have the user name "AI answer." The rest of us who contribute here are real people; I assure you.

Forum contributors are not Microsoft support staff, though, meaning that we do not have access to any account or billing information.

My other computer is working on version 12.7.6

This is an important piece of information. You posted in the Windows section. If you are running macOS, the Microsoft update that was released mid July changed everything, I'm afraid. You must now run at least macOS 12 on all your Mac devices; otherwise Microsoft Office won't activate.

I'll update the thread info to reflect your operating system.

Answer 1

After the mid July updates from Microsoft, you can't run Microsoft Office on your Mac unless your operating system is macOS 12 or later and if you have a Microsoft Office license that can run version 16.83 or later.

Since you have a subscription, the Office license won't be a problem, but the version of macOS may still be.

For example, on a macOS 12 device, you should be able to install Office 16.88 from the update history page at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac .

For more information, see https://www.brandwares.com/bestpractices/2023/03/most-recent-office-you-can-run-best-practices/ .

Answer 2

Hello Susan SW

Was the answer provided by AI able to help you solve this issue?

In case you need further assistance, here is the detail steps to contact Microsoft Support:

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.

Open a website link - Contact - Microsoft Support
In the box below "We're here to help", type Microsoft 365, click "Get Help", and then click "Contact Support" below.
In this section, you will need to sign in to your Microsoft account.
Select "Microsoft 365 and Office" under Products & Services, select "Technical Support" as the category, and click to confirm
You can select " Chat with a support agent in your web browser " to access the chat window.

I hope you can get the support you need,

have a nice day.