Processes in Microsoft 365 for setting up Office apps, redeeming product keys, and activating licenses.
That message usually appears because Office is still signed in with an old school account, or the app is not activated with the Microsoft account that owns the personal purchase.
Try this in order:
- Check that the personal license is on the correct Microsoft account
Sign in to Services & subscriptions and confirm the Office product is listed on the personal Microsoft account that was used to buy it. - Sign in to Office with the right account
Open Word or Excel, choose Sign in, and use the same personal Microsoft account from Services & subscriptions. If there are multiple email addresses, try each personal account that might have been used for the purchase. - Remove old Office versions if more than one is installed
On Windows, open Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features. Search for office. If more than one Office version appears, uninstall the version that is not being used, then restart the PC. - If activation still fails, repair Office
After restarting, open an Office app and sign in again. If it still does not activate, run an online repair for Office. - If the app shows Product Deactivated
Select Reactivate from the banner, or sign out of all Microsoft 365 apps, close them, reopen an app, and sign in again.
If the personal Office purchase does not appear under Services & subscriptions, that account cannot activate Office. In that case, Office must be activated with the Microsoft account that originally purchased it.