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Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For education | Other
Microsoft 365 features that help users manage their subscriptions, account settings, and billing information.
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Dear @Machado Martins, A. (Alexandra),
Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!
Based on your description, I understand that your Microsoft 365 A5 for Students subscription shows access to "The latest desktop version of Office," but the Mac desktop apps are opening in read-only mode and do not allow editing. You're looking for help verifying your license and activating the desktop apps on Mac.
To better understand the issue, could you please confirm the following:
- Are you able to edit documents when using Office on the web (Word Online, Excel Online, etc.)?
- What version of macOS and Office are you currently using?
- Do you receive any error messages when attempting to activate Office or edit documents?
Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!
In the meantime, kindly try the following suggestion to check what might have caused the issue:
- Ensure your OS and Office is fully up to date:
- Prior to updating your Office apps, you need to ensure that you are running macOS 12 (Monterey) or later on your Mac, or iOS 17 or later on your iPad/iPhone.
- Please update Office to the latest available version by following: Update Microsoft 365 or Office on your macOS or iOS device | Microsoft Support
Starting July 13, 2026, some users may notice that Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, or OneNote) can open and print files, but cannot edit, save, or create new files – called “reduced functionality mode”. This happens when support for Microsoft Office apps is no longer continued for older operating systems or devices.
This issue affects both Microsoft 365 subscribers on macOS, iPhone, and iPad, and those with non-subscription software, including Office 2021 or Office 2019 on macOS. For most users, updating your OS, and updating your apps will resolve it.
After updating, kindly:
- Close all Office applications
- Restart your Mac
- Open an Office application and sign in with your Microsoft 365 licensed account
- Check whether editing capabilities have been restored
Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going!
Thank you for your time and patience.