Office 2021

1

Open Word.

At the top right of Word, log out of Office.

Restart (not shut down) your PC, then log back into Office, is your subscription then recognised correctly.

2

If not, log into your Microsoft account on this link, is your Office licence listed correctly there, or if that is a subscription, check the expiry date listed on your subscription, is that listed correctly.

https://account.microsoft.com/services/

If not, go to the Payments and Billing section, is it indicated your payment has been processed correctly.

To activate an Office 2021 license on Windows and fix Word not activating while Excel works, follow these steps:

1. Open an Office app that works (Excel) and check activation
   • Open Excel.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • Under Product Information, check the activation state:
     • If it shows Product Activated, Office as a whole should be activated and Word should also work. If Word still does not, continue with step 2.
     • If it shows Unlicensed Product or similar, continue with step 3.
2. In Word, force a license refresh
   • Open Word.
   • Go to File > Account.
   • If there is an option like Update license or Sign in, choose it.
   • Sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used to buy or redeem Office 2021.
   • Close Word and reopen it to see if activation completes.
3. Make sure Office 2021 is activated after install
   • On Windows, Office 2016–2021 normally activates the first time an app is started:
     1. Open any Office app such as Word or Excel.
     2. Accept the license terms when prompted.
     3. If the Microsoft Office Activation Wizard appears, follow the prompts to complete activation.
   • If activation does not complete, use the dedicated activation article: Activate Office for Windows.
4. Check for “Unlicensed Product” or activation errors
   • If Word shows Unlicensed Product or similar in the title bar, follow the activation error guidance:
     • First, confirm that the correct Microsoft account is used:
       • When prompted to sign in, enter the account used to buy or redeem Office 2021.
       • If the wrong account is used, the message “We couldn't find any Office products” may appear.
     • After signing in with the correct account, restart Word and check again.
   • For more detailed steps, see Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office.
5. If Office was recently reinstalled
   • If Windows or Office was reinstalled, activation should still work as long as the same Microsoft account and a valid Office 2021 license are used.
   • Install or reinstall Office 2021, then:
     1. Open Word or Excel.
     2. Accept the license terms.
     3. Complete any Activation Wizard steps.

If after these steps Excel shows as activated but Word still does not, use the activation troubleshooting article for Windows and the unlicensed-product article to check for account issues or activation errors, and ensure all Office apps are from the same Office 2021 installation (not a mix of different Office versions).

References:

• Activate Office for Windows
• Download and install or reinstall Office 2021, Office 2019, or Office 2016
• Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office