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How to Install and Activate Microsoft Office on a Mac

Install Office for Mac from the Microsoft account tied to your license, then activate by signing in. Learn how to redeem a key and resolve common setup issues.
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To install Office on a Mac, download the Mac installer from the Microsoft account that owns your Microsoft 365 subscription, redeemed Office purchase, or organization-assigned license. Install the package, then open Word and sign in with that same account to activate. First check that the account has a desktop Office license: access to free Office web apps alone does not establish one.

Before you install: confirm the license and account

Microsoft Office for Mac can be activated with a Microsoft 365 subscription, a one-time Office purchase for Mac, or a work or school license assigned by an organization. Check which account owns the license before buying anything. A personal Microsoft account and a work or school account are not interchangeable unless the license is assigned to both.

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  • If you have a personal subscription or purchase, identify the Microsoft account used to buy or redeem it.
  • If your employer or school provides Office, use the assigned work or school account. If activation says there is no license, ask the organization’s IT administrator to confirm that a desktop Office license was assigned.
  • If you have a one-time purchase, confirm that it is the Mac edition, not the Windows edition. Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance notes that the wrong platform edition can produce an unsupported operating-system error.

Microsoft’s activation guidance notes that one Microsoft account can have more than one Office license. If prompted to choose, select the license intended for this Mac. A one-time license may already have been used; keep track of which license is associated with which device rather than assuming a reinstall makes it available again. See Microsoft’s Office for Mac activation instructions and installation and activation troubleshooting.

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Redeem a product key before installation, if needed

If you bought a boxed or digital one-time Office product that includes a product key and have not redeemed it, redeem it to the Microsoft account you intend to use for installation and later activation. Go to office.com/setup, sign in or create that account, enter the key without hyphens, and complete redemption. Afterward, use the account’s Office page to install; the product key is not normally the sign-in credential used each time you reinstall or activate Office.

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Download and install Office for Mac

Use Microsoft’s current download flow for Microsoft 365 or Office 2024. Before downloading, check Microsoft’s live system requirements for the specific product: supported macOS versions vary by edition and change over time, so a single minimum version should not be assumed to apply to every release.

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft account associated with the valid license and choose the option to install Office for Mac.
  2. When the download finishes, open Finder and select Downloads. Double-click the downloaded Microsoft Office installer.pkg; the exact filename may vary.
  3. Follow the installer prompts: continue, accept the license agreement, choose the installation option and location, and enter your Mac login password if requested. Microsoft says the installer can be customized to omit apps you do not want.
  4. When installation completes, open Word from Launchpad or the Applications folder.

Activate Office by signing in

When Word opens, choose Get Started if it appears, then choose Sign in. Use the email address for the account that owns or has been assigned the license. Office checks that account’s entitlement and activates when it finds a valid desktop license.

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If Word does not show a sign-in prompt, open a blank document and try File > New from Template > Sign In. If Office reports no license, sign out and retry with the account tied to the purchase or subscription; check other email addresses for Microsoft’s purchase confirmation. For an organization account, ask the administrator to check the assignment.

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Fix common installation and activation problems

The account has no license

Free Office web apps do not prove that an account includes desktop Office. Verify the account used for purchase or key redemption, and check whether a one-time license is already in use or another license is available to select. If the license came through work or school, ask the administrator to verify its assignment. Microsoft’s step-by-step guidance is at What to try if you can’t install or activate Office for Mac.

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Sign-in repeats or activation fails with 0xD000000C

Check that the Mac has internet access and that you are using the licensed account. For the specific 0xD000000C activation error, Microsoft directs users to quit Office apps, run its Office license removal tool, reopen an Office app, and activate again. A network account that cannot write credentials to Keychain can also interfere; Microsoft recommends trying a local Mac user account. Follow the error-specific instructions at Microsoft’s 0xD000000C support page.

Repeated Keychain prompts or “Authentication Expired”

Microsoft associates these symptoms with Office apps being moved out of the default /Applications folder. Return the apps to that folder and use Microsoft’s Keychain-permission troubleshooting rather than repeatedly entering credentials.

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The installer will not download or open

Confirm that the download completed. If the installer appears incomplete, delete that download and fetch it again; Microsoft recommends Safari in some download-error cases. If macOS reports an unidentified developer, Microsoft’s guidance says the installer package can be moved to the desktop before opening. Review the current macOS security prompt carefully and do not disable system protections to install Office.

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“Unknown Error 0x0” or “License Not Found”

Microsoft’s issue page, last updated July 15, 2026, marks this specific issue resolved. It recommends updating Office installed from Microsoft.com with Microsoft AutoUpdate, or updating individually installed App Store apps through the App Store. The page specifies macOS 12 or later for this fix; that version note is for this issue’s remediation, not a universal Office system requirement. See Microsoft’s issue and update guidance.

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