I can't access my word documents other than read only.

Edward Davis 0 Reputation points
2026-09-03T18:59:39.35+00:00

I can only see my Word documents in read only accessibility.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | MacOS
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  1. John Korchok 235.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-03T19:01:31.3233333+00:00

    If you are running Big Sur or earlier, Microsoft has reduced Office to view-only status. Here is Microsoft's page announcing their abandonment of users on older Macs, with disingenuous advice about upgrading your macOS version: Update Microsoft 365 or Office on your macOS or iOS device

    As alternatives to Office for Mac under Big Sur, you can use Word for the web or Google Docs. For desktop software, take a look at open-source LibreOffice, which has good compatibility with Office file formats.

    If you're adventurous, Open Core Legacy Patcher allows you to run newer versions of macOS on older Macs. You can install up to Sequoia (Tahoe is not supported). I have a 2011 MacBook Pro running Sequoia and the current edition of Office.

    If you are running Monterey or newer and are using Office 2021 or better, you may be experiencing a bug in a recent update. Please try the steps on this page: Unknown Error 0x0 or License not found error in Microsoft 365 or Office running on macOS

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