0x0 Error After Mac Update July 14th, 2026

Question

0x0 Error After Mac Update July 14th, 2026

CDR1234 10

I’m unable to activate Word or Excel on my Mac. Every time I sign in, I receive:

“Unknown Error. An unknown error has occurred. The error code is: 0x0.”

My Microsoft 365 Personal subscription is active, and the same account works normally on a different computer. Microsoft Teams also signs in successfully on the affected Mac.

I have already:

Updated macOS
Confirmed the subscription is active
Signed out older devices
Cleared Microsoft credentials from Keychain
Restarted the Mac
Completely uninstalled and reinstalled Microsoft Office
Signed in using the account that owns the subscription

The issue still occurs in both Word and Excel. I also briefly saw an unfamiliar old Microsoft account during the sign-in process.

Has anyone found a working fix for this specific 0x0 activation error on Mac, or can Microsoft confirm whether this is a current activation issue?

Trista 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T17:23:02.29+00:00
I am experiencing this issue on Mac running Tahoe 26.5.2. Getting the error when trying to activate PowerPoint specificually. Other apps are working under the license just fine. I've tried

deleting keychain licenses,

logging out,

running a license removal tool from another MS thread,

deleting the apps and reinstalling,

activating a new license via free trial through Apple

All result in the same error. Is there an ETA to resolve?
Frustrated User 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T19:40:31.77+00:00

Same is happening to me. I'm not going to bother with the troubleshooting steps so long as I continue to see other people report the same problem even after putting the work in.

Macbook Air M1 Sonoma 14.8.3
CDR1234 10 Reputation points

2026-07-14T19:51:52.2766667+00:00

I was randomly able to open and edit Excel documents - but when I open up word all office force quits.
Craig Martin 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T20:51:50.8666667+00:00

Me too (Tahoe 26.5.1). Is there an answer for this? It's ridiculous that this just stopped working.
Trista 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:10:52.4233333+00:00

Yea now it's happening to me in Excel and Word, too. Just saw this https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/update-microsoft-365-or-office-on-your-macos-or-ios-device-f418ae5d-bb5f-4078-b3d9-9340f5dd084e
Imzy 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:17:15.0533333+00:00

Going through the exact same issue and followed basically all the same steps and yet no resolution. Was working fine a few days ago but all of a sudden when i tried to access Word on my current device the same error keeps popping up despite being logged in and having my Microsoft 365 activated. Hopefully Microsoft look into this and resolve it on their side. ASAP. Good to know its not just me being affected by the same issue.
Dave H 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:55:07.2+00:00

Me too (Tahoe 26.5.1) and Version 16.110.3 for Excel. Is there an answer for this Microsoft? Does anyone know how to get their attention?

Answer accepted by question author

Reported

Trista 0

Hi all, I think I found a solve. Assuming you have downloaded your MS applications via the Mac App Store - delete these (drag from Finder > Applications to trash, then empty trash). Go into the MS account online and navigate to subscriptions, download the installer and reinstall via that path. Opened and it brought up the activation window, logged in and it worked this time.

My theory is they are now trying to force some pair between App Store download + Apple ID and no longer want to support the path of Mac App Store Download > login with existing 365 account.

Frustrated User 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T23:01:24.7033333+00:00

This worked for me. It was a Macbook Air M1 Sonoma 14.8.3 running excel 16.78. I uninstalled, went to the microsoft site and downloaded the whole suite from there. So for it's working. Thanks Trista!
CDR1234 10 Reputation points

2026-07-15T00:06:46.1133333+00:00

Hi Trista - I was super reluctant to try this AGAIN (because I had already deleted all apps and re downloaded) But, it worked! I'm actually thinking I had multiple versions of each Microsoft app stored in my computer... so be diligent when deleting.

3 additional answers

Your answer

Trista 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T17:23:02.29+00:00

I am experiencing this issue on Mac running Tahoe 26.5.2. Getting the error when trying to activate PowerPoint specificually. Other apps are working under the license just fine. I've tried

deleting keychain licenses,

logging out,

running a license removal tool from another MS thread,

deleting the apps and reinstalling,

activating a new license via free trial through Apple

All result in the same error. Is there an ETA to resolve?
Frustrated User 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T19:40:31.77+00:00

Same is happening to me. I'm not going to bother with the troubleshooting steps so long as I continue to see other people report the same problem even after putting the work in.

Macbook Air M1 Sonoma 14.8.3
CDR1234 10 Reputation points

2026-07-14T19:51:52.2766667+00:00

I was randomly able to open and edit Excel documents - but when I open up word all office force quits.
Craig Martin 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T20:51:50.8666667+00:00

Me too (Tahoe 26.5.1). Is there an answer for this? It's ridiculous that this just stopped working.
Trista 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:10:52.4233333+00:00

Yea now it's happening to me in Excel and Word, too. Just saw this https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/update-microsoft-365-or-office-on-your-macos-or-ios-device-f418ae5d-bb5f-4078-b3d9-9340f5dd084e
Imzy 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:17:15.0533333+00:00

Going through the exact same issue and followed basically all the same steps and yet no resolution. Was working fine a few days ago but all of a sudden when i tried to access Word on my current device the same error keeps popping up despite being logged in and having my Microsoft 365 activated. Hopefully Microsoft look into this and resolve it on their side. ASAP. Good to know its not just me being affected by the same issue.
Dave H 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T21:55:07.2+00:00

Me too (Tahoe 26.5.1) and Version 16.110.3 for Excel. Is there an answer for this Microsoft? Does anyone know how to get their attention?
Frustrated User 0 Reputation points

2026-07-14T23:01:24.7033333+00:00

This worked for me. It was a Macbook Air M1 Sonoma 14.8.3 running excel 16.78. I uninstalled, went to the microsoft site and downloaded the whole suite from there. So for it's working. Thanks Trista!
CDR1234 10 Reputation points

2026-07-15T00:06:46.1133333+00:00

Hi Trista - I was super reluctant to try this AGAIN (because I had already deleted all apps and re downloaded) But, it worked! I'm actually thinking I had multiple versions of each Microsoft app stored in my computer... so be diligent when deleting.

Answer 1

Christopher Zeller 0

This was very frustrating.....lots of password changing and trying to signout and into subscription.

i just went to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/download-office and downloaded the latest installer - it updated all of the apps and now working.....good luck

0 comments

Answer 2

I am having the same issue. I have a paid subscription to Office on my Mac through Sept 2026, but MS is NOT letting me use my paid subscription of Word. I tried logging in with my email address that is registered with Microsoft (within Word), but Word gave me an "Error Code 0x0". So, all solutions I can find online are telling me to follow instructions explained by Trista, saying that in order to fix the "license glitch," you have to "uninstall your MS apps". DO NOT DO THIS!

DO NOT TRY Trista's solution of uninstalling MS Office apps, or you will NOT be able to re-install your Word/Excel/PowerPoint apps!! When I attempted to install Office, I clicked "install" under my MS user profile, under "subscriptions" (that I've paid for), but a pop-up box stopped me with the message: "Software Requirement. This software requires MacOS version 14.0 or later." I have Mac version 11.7.11. I have now lost all my MS apps, and cannot re-install them. And I need to use MS Office for my job. I can't reach Microsoft customer service over the phone, because THEY HAVE NONE! They don't even have a chat bot. Where are the human customer service reps??

Answer 3

DaveM121 902.4K Independent Advisor

There are a couple of on-going problems with the Office apps on an Apple Mac at the moment, you indicate you have upgraded your MacOS operating system, if you seeing an 0x0 error in the Office apps, at the top left of your Desktop, click the Apple icon and select 'About this Mac', what version of MacOS is installed on your computer?

CDR1234 10 Reputation points

2026-07-14T19:48:27.4966667+00:00

Tahoe 26.5.1