Share via

Office 2024 installs Microsoft 365 instead

Kevin Farrell 0 Reputation points
2026-05-21T00:35:34.5033333+00:00

I purchased Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac. The product key is already redeemed to my account, but every time I install it, it installs Microsoft 365 and asks me to subscribe instead of activating my purchase.

[Tag moved from: Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | MacOS]

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | MacOS
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Norah-L 6,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-21T05:36:05.46+00:00

    Hello Kevin Farrell

    From what you described, you purchased Office Home & Business 2024 for Mac and redeemed the product key successfully, but when you install Office, it keeps installing Microsoft 365 and prompts you to subscribe instead of activating your one-time purchase.

    You might start by using the official Mac License Removal Tool, then restart your Mac and attempt to activate Office again. This method has worked for some users with similar issues, so it may be worth trying.

    Note: The license removal tool only clears saved activation/licensing data on your Mac, it does not delete your purchase or invalidate your license. However, please make sure you still have access to the correct Microsoft account associated with your original Office purchase, as you will need to sign in again to reactivate it after running the tool.

    If the issue continues, you can try uninstalling the current Office apps and then reinstalling them directly from Microsoft account rather than from the Mac App Store (since App Store versions typically require a Microsoft 365 subscription).

    Hope this could help. Feel free to post back if you need any further clarification or assistance!

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-05-21T00:35:55.46+00:00

    Office Home & Business 2024 is a one-time purchase that is tied to the Microsoft account used when the product key was redeemed. After redemption, installation and activation must be done by signing in with that same account, not by entering the key again.

    To stop Microsoft 365 from appearing and use Office 2024 instead:

    1. Confirm the license is correctly redeemed
    2. Remove any old or conflicting Office/Microsoft 365 installations
      • On the Mac, uninstall any existing Microsoft 365 or older Office versions that may still be present.
      • These older installations can keep the device associated with a Microsoft 365 subscription and cause the apps to prompt for a subscription instead of using the new perpetual license.
    3. Reinstall Office from the correct place
      • From the same Services & subscriptions page (https://account.microsoft.com/services), locate Microsoft Office Home and Business 2024.
      • Use the Install option next to that product so the installer that is downloaded is the one tied to the Office 2024 license.
    4. Activate by signing in, not by entering the key
      • After installation, open Word or another Office app.
      • When prompted to sign in, use the same Microsoft account that shows Microsoft Office Home and Business 2024 under Products you've purchased.
      • Office 2024 should then show as activated, and there is no need to enter the product key again.

    If the apps still show Microsoft 365 branding or ask for a subscription, ensure that the signed-in account in the Office apps is the same one used to redeem Office 2024, and that any previous work or school Microsoft 365 accounts are signed out and removed from the Office profile.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.