After resetting my computer, I no longer have access to Excel

Mariana Freyre 0 Reputation points
2026-09-03T16:40:42.62+00:00

After resetting my computer, I no longer have access to Excel, Word, etc.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For business | MacOS

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-03T16:40:59.7833333+00:00

    A Windows reset can remove Office apps from the PC. The supported fix is to reinstall Office.

    1. Check the desktop for the ReadMe file that Windows recovery copied there, and follow its Office reinstall steps if it is present.
    2. If Office was preinstalled or previously activated, reinstall it by signing in with the same Microsoft account used before and selecting Install apps.
    3. If Outlook, Access, Publisher, Excel, or Word are still missing after reinstall, open an Office app such as Word or Excel and update Office:
      • File > Account > Update Options > Update Now
      • After the update finishes, the missing app shortcuts should be restored.
    4. If the apps are installed but not easy to find, type the app name such as Word or Excel in the Windows search box.

    After the Office install completes, Office should activate again and the missing apps should be restored.

    References:

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  2. BabybooHN 2,955 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-03T17:17:41.7866667+00:00

    Dear @Mariana Freyre

    I understand how crucial it is to restore your Microsoft 365 apps quickly for work after resetting your Mac. With a business or work/school account, your license is tied directly to your organization’s Microsoft 365 tenant.

    To reinstall and reactivate Microsoft 365 using your business account, please follow these steps:

    Step 1: Download the Apps from the Microsoft 365 Portal

    • Go to m365.cloud.microsoft/apps in your web browser.
    • Sign in using your business email address and password provided by your organization.
    • On the main page, locate and click the Install apps button (located near the top right corner).
    • Select Microsoft 365 apps to download the installer package (.pkg file).

    (Note: If you do not see the "Install apps" option, your organization's administrator may not have assigned a desktop license to your account, or they may require deployment through your company's Mobile Device Management/MDM tool like Microsoft Intune.)

    Step 2: Install on Your Mac

    • Open Finder, navigate to your Downloads folder, and double-click the Microsoft Office installer.pkg file.
    • Follow the setup prompts, review the license agreement, and enter your Mac administrator password when prompted to complete installation.

    Step 3: Activate Your License

    • Open Finder > Applications and launch Microsoft Word or Excel.
    • Click Sign In on the startup banner and log in with your business account credentials.
    • The app will verify your enterprise license and activate all Microsoft 365 apps automatically. How to Open Applications on Mac with Finder

    License/Sign-in Conflicts: If you encounter error messages like "No License Found" or a "Read-Only" notification, use the official Microsoft Office License Removal Tool for Mac to clear corrupted sign-in state files, then restart the app and sign in again.

    Official Reference: You can review full documentation at Download and install or reinstall Microsoft 365 or Office 2024 on a Mac.

    Please feel free to reply with any specific error codes or messages if you encounter issues during sign-in, and I will gladly assist you further.

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

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