Office for Mac not allowing me to save. Cannot use

Question

Office for Mac not allowing me to save. Cannot use

Malcolm Grimmond 0

Office for Max 2021 not allowing me to save. Purchased in Aug 23. Will not allow me to log on to Microsoft account

0 comments

4 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Mal Grimmond 0

how do I uninstall Microsoft Office

0 comments

Answer 2

EmilyS_726 27,215 Volunteer Moderator

Office products can run on macOS Ventura 13 only by using an older Office version.

Microsoft ended support for Ventura with Office version 16.101, released in September 2025. Newer Office product installations and updates require macOS Sonoma 14 or later.

If your Mac device cannot upgrade to OS 14 or above, uninstall your current office apps, then downgrade to version 16.101 by using this installer.

https://officecdn.microsoft.com/pr/C1297A47-86C4-4C1F-97FA-950631F94777/MacAutoupdate/Microsoft_365_and_Office_16.101.25091314_Installer.pkg

0 comments

Answer 3

Estrella721 45,810 Independent Advisor

Hi,

If you're using Office 2021 for Mac, this may be related to the new minimum system requirements that took effect starting July 13, 2026.

Which macOS version is installed on your Mac?

What Office version are you using? (Open any Office app, then go to Word > About Word or Excel > About Excel.)

To continue editing and saving files, your Mac must be running macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, and Office must be updated to version 16.83 or later.

Regarding the sign-in issue, what happens when you try to sign in to your Microsoft account? Do you receive an error message?

Mal Grimmond 0 Reputation points

2026-07-18T00:27:53.1366667+00:00

Ok, version I am using is Mac 13.7.8

Office Version is 16.78, not activated

Microsoft will not let me sign in via Word or Excel. I tsays password and username do not match. However I can sign in to Microsoft elsewhere and it shows my subscription to 2021 Office & Student. So i do not know why I am being blocked.
Malcolm Grimmond 0 Reputation points

2026-07-18T09:05:54.76+00:00

Is there a Microsoft Help Desk? I need help and not getting much so far.
Estrella721 45,810 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-18T09:15:41.63+00:00
For personal Microsoft accounts, the available support channel is Live Chat.

If your Office version is 16.78, you may need to update to version 16.83 or later, as earlier versions may no longer allow you to sign in.

Try reinstalling Office. This will also update it to the latest version.

Uninstall first:

In the search bar, type Control Panel and press Enter

Go to Programs > Programs and Features

Locate Microsoft 365 or any installed Office apps

Right-click them and select Uninstall

Restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect

Then reinstall Office using the steps below:

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

Sign in using the Microsoft account associated with your license

Locate Microsoft Office and click Install

This will download the Office installer

Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions

Once installed, open any Office app such as Word or Excel, then sign in using the Microsoft account associated with the purchase to activate Office.
Malcolm Grimmond 0 Reputation points

2026-07-18T09:23:00.5866667+00:00

If I uninstall will I need Mac OS 14 to reinstall? If so this will not work
Estrella721 45,810 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-18T10:11:11.02+00:00

Your Mac is running macOS 13.7.8 (Ventura), correct?

Sorry, but after checking, Office Home & Student 2021 for Mac is supported only on the three most recent versions of macOS: macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS 15 Sequoia, and macOS 14 Sonoma. It is no longer supported on macOS 13 Ventura or earlier.

Could you try updating your macOS to the latest version first?
Malcolm Grimmond 0 Reputation points

2026-07-18T10:28:26.1133333+00:00

Ok it will not update any further. So only option is to buy a new Mac. Thanks
Estrella721 45,810 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-18T22:55:20.71+00:00

You may try following EmilyS's suggestion first. If the issue persists, your last resort is to upgrade to a newer Mac that supports the required version of macOS.

Answer 4

Sorry you're experiencing this. A few details would help narrow down the cause.

What version of macOS are you using?

Do you receive an error message when you try to save or sign in? If so, what does it say?

Are you unable to save all Office apps (Word, Excel, etc.) or just one application?

In the meantime, you can try these troubleshooting steps:

Open any Office app and go to Help > Check for Updates to make sure Office 2021 is fully updated.

Open Word (or another Office app) > Settings > Accounts, sign out if you're signed in, then sign back in with the Microsoft account associated with your Office 2021 purchase.

Restart your Mac and try saving a new document locally (for example, to your Desktop) to determine whether the issue is related to OneDrive or file permissions.

If you can't sign in at all, verify that you can access your Microsoft account by signing in through a web browser. If that works but Office still won't sign in, the issue may be related to cached credentials or the Office installation.

If the problem persists, please share your macOS version, your Office version (Word > About Word), and any error messages you receive. That information will help identify the next troubleshooting steps.