Outlook on Mac OS upgrade crash

Question

Outlook on Mac OS upgrade crash

George Lord 20

I use Outlook on Mac OS. It did an auto-upgrade 2 days ago, but now I can't access anything, and all my mail is gone. I have tried to "activate" to 365 but get nowhere. "Error - try again". The screen just goes into spin cycle.

I can access Outlook on my phone but that's not good. I am willing to upgrade to the personal (free) version on 365, but cannot get through the system to do so.

I have an account for Office 2024.

George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-19T18:21:39.9633333+00:00

I moved to Outlook several years ago, and it's the best email app - far better than Apple Mail. I want to keep using it. And I get ALL my bills, statements, etc through it. It's critical for our home.

Answer accepted by question author

Allan Solomon Mejia 10,145

Hello @George Lord

Since you can still access your email on your phone, your messages are most likely still on the mail server. Do not delete your Outlook profile or local Outlook data yet, especially since this started immediately after the update.

You also mentioned that you already have Office 2024. If your Office 2024 license includes Outlook, you shouldn't need to purchase Microsoft 365 simply to get Outlook working again.

First, check which Microsoft account your Office 2024 purchase is linked to by signing in to your Microsoft account and checking Services & subscriptions. Microsoft recommends confirming that you're signing in with the same account associated with the Office license when Outlook reports activation problems.

Next, make sure Outlook and the other Office applications are fully updated. Microsoft had a Mac activation/licensing issue earlier in 2026 that was resolved through Office updates, so updating is particularly worthwhile here. Quit all Office applications, then open Microsoft AutoUpdate from Applications. If you don't see it there, it's under:

/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0/

Install all available Office updates, restart the Mac, and try Outlook again.

If Outlook still gets stuck on Activate / Error - try again; the next step is to reset the Office activation credentials rather than removing the Outlook profile. Resetting credentials for Mac activation failures also provides an Office License Removal Tool when activation remains stuck.

One other important factor is where Outlook was installed from. If your Office 2024 is a one-time/perpetual license but you installed Outlook from Apple's Mac App Store, you may have a licensing mismatch. One-time Office licenses aren't compatible with the Office apps downloaded from the Mac App Store; those licenses need the Microsoft-downloaded version of Office.

Before reinstalling anything, could you tell us:

Your macOS version
Outlook version (Outlook → About Outlook)
Whether Office 2024 was purchased directly from Microsoft and whether it is Home 2024 or Home & Business 2024
Whether Outlook was installed from Microsoft or the Mac App Store
What type of email account this is - Outlook.com/Microsoft 365, Gmail, iCloud, or another IMAP account

That last part matters especially before touching the Outlook profile because locally stored data needs to be handled differently from mail already synchronized with a server.

References:

Troubleshoot Office for Mac activation

Activate Office for Mac

Office activation and the Mac App Store

Recent Outlook for Mac issues

Help make this community better for everyone: If this answer helped or resolved your issue, please accept it or upvote it. If not, share more details in a comment so we can continue the discussion and find the right solution. Thank you.

George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T18:12:53.2233333+00:00

Hi back. Some quick answers for you from my ipad.

MacOS Sequoia 15.8. Outlook from the App store. I can’t see the version no. because About Outlook only shows “legacy Outlook”. Everything else is “grey”. I have Oulook on my phone and ipad as well as on the Mac. It’s the Mac app that is the problem.

One-time licence for Office, probably the Home version. I have used Word for many years. My WORD screen shows Word v. 16.79.2, retail licence 2019, 2023 Microsoft. All the Office apps are updated. If I try to “update the licence” in WORD I am asked to sign in and provide an email to “activate Office”, so that doesn’t work.

The email is ******@live.ca, an Outlook account obtained from Microsoft.

There is a very small possibility that an old email from Gmail may have been used with Office - ******@gmail.com. But I can’t check that as my ‘backup app” - Apple Mail is dead on arrival.

The best way to communicate with me is texting to my phone. Is that possible? <Mod remove PII>.

Thanks for your help so far.

George
George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T18:52:30.1433333+00:00

Hello again, Allan. I did all you suggested, and hallelujah we're back. I made sure all my Office apps were updated, went to the App store and UPDATED ALL. Then opened the 'updated apps", which included Outlook . . and bingo - all my recent emails were there. Recovered. Microsoft must have updated the update between now and Thursday last.

But in any event, I am back in business. I consider Outlook the best by far of all the email apps, and am glad I can keep using it. Am I okay with my licensing or do I need to do more. ie - is my one-time licence good to go?

Thanks for you help with this.

Cheers

George Lord
Allan Solomon Mejia 10,145 Reputation points

2026-09-20T22:09:52.6+00:00

Hello @George Lord

I'm glad the update got Outlook working again and that your recent mail is still there.

Regarding the license: if your one-time Office 2024 license is Office Home & Business 2024 and it is activated on this Mac, you're good to go. You don't need to buy a Microsoft 365 subscription to keep using Outlook.

Help make this community better for everyone: If this answer helped or resolved your issue, please accept it or upvote it. Thank you.
George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T23:14:35.45+00:00

Thanks, Alan, You have been very helpful. Hopefully everything will continue to work well, as it has in the past.

Cheers. George
Allan Solomon Mejia 10,145 Reputation points

2026-09-20T23:31:05.8066667+00:00

Hi @George Lord

Please "Accept the Answer" if this information helped/resolved your issue. This will help us and others in the community. Thank you.

2 additional answers

Your answer

George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-19T18:21:39.9633333+00:00

I moved to Outlook several years ago, and it's the best email app - far better than Apple Mail. I want to keep using it. And I get ALL my bills, statements, etc through it. It's critical for our home.
George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T18:12:53.2233333+00:00

Hi back. Some quick answers for you from my ipad.

MacOS Sequoia 15.8. Outlook from the App store. I can’t see the version no. because About Outlook only shows “legacy Outlook”. Everything else is “grey”. I have Oulook on my phone and ipad as well as on the Mac. It’s the Mac app that is the problem.

One-time licence for Office, probably the Home version. I have used Word for many years. My WORD screen shows Word v. 16.79.2, retail licence 2019, 2023 Microsoft. All the Office apps are updated. If I try to “update the licence” in WORD I am asked to sign in and provide an email to “activate Office”, so that doesn’t work.

The email is ******@live.ca, an Outlook account obtained from Microsoft.

There is a very small possibility that an old email from Gmail may have been used with Office - ******@gmail.com. But I can’t check that as my ‘backup app” - Apple Mail is dead on arrival.

The best way to communicate with me is texting to my phone. Is that possible? <Mod remove PII>.

Thanks for your help so far.

George
George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T18:52:30.1433333+00:00

Hello again, Allan. I did all you suggested, and hallelujah we're back. I made sure all my Office apps were updated, went to the App store and UPDATED ALL. Then opened the 'updated apps", which included Outlook . . and bingo - all my recent emails were there. Recovered. Microsoft must have updated the update between now and Thursday last.

But in any event, I am back in business. I consider Outlook the best by far of all the email apps, and am glad I can keep using it. Am I okay with my licensing or do I need to do more. ie - is my one-time licence good to go?

Thanks for you help with this.

Cheers

George Lord
Allan Solomon Mejia 10,145 Reputation points

2026-09-20T22:09:52.6+00:00

Hello @George Lord

I'm glad the update got Outlook working again and that your recent mail is still there.

Regarding the license: if your one-time Office 2024 license is Office Home & Business 2024 and it is activated on this Mac, you're good to go. You don't need to buy a Microsoft 365 subscription to keep using Outlook.

Help make this community better for everyone: If this answer helped or resolved your issue, please accept it or upvote it. Thank you.
George Lord 20 Reputation points

2026-09-20T23:14:35.45+00:00

Thanks, Alan, You have been very helpful. Hopefully everything will continue to work well, as it has in the past.

Cheers. George
Allan Solomon Mejia 10,145 Reputation points

2026-09-20T23:31:05.8066667+00:00

Hi @George Lord

Please "Accept the Answer" if this information helped/resolved your issue. This will help us and others in the community. Thank you.

Answer 1

George Lord 20

Thanks to Allan for his help with this little issue. We're good now.

0 comments

Answer 2

George Lord 20

Outlook did another "upgrade" today, and everything came back, so I have my emails again, and everything seems to be okay. Curious, though. I won't be changing anything anytime soon - I like it the way it is.

0 comments