Microsoft Office — "Office isn't licensed" — What It Means & How to Fix It

What Does This Error Mean?

This banner appears when Office cannot confirm that your license is valid. It is very similar to the 'Product activation failed' error but often appears as a yellow or red bar at the top of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Office still opens your files in this state, but editing is blocked until the license is confirmed.

Affected Models

Microsoft Office 2019
Microsoft Office 2021
Microsoft 365 Personal
Microsoft 365 Family
Microsoft 365 Business

Common Causes

Your Microsoft 365 subscription has expired and needs renewing
Office has not been able to reach Microsoft's activation servers due to a lack of internet connection
You are signed into an account that does not have an Office license attached
A recent PC repair, Windows reset, or hardware upgrade has deactivated Office
Your organization's IT department has removed your Office license (for business accounts)

How to Fix It

Make sure your computer is connected to the internet, then open any Office app and wait a few minutes. Office will check your license automatically.

If you were offline for a long time (over 30 days for Microsoft 365), Office shows this error. Simply going online usually resolves it within minutes.
Open any Office app, go to File > Account. Check the account name shown. Click Sign Out, then sign back in with the Microsoft account that owns your Office license.

If you have multiple Microsoft accounts, you may be signed into the wrong one. The licensed account is the one you used when you purchased Office or set up your subscription.
Check your subscription status at account.microsoft.com. Sign in, go to Services & Subscriptions, and look for Microsoft 365. If it says Expired, click Renew.

Renewal takes just a few minutes online. Once renewed, open any Office app and click Activate — it should activate immediately.
Open the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA). Download it free from aka.ms/SaRA. Run it, choose Office, and follow the guided steps to fix license issues.

SaRA is Microsoft's own tool for diagnosing and fixing activation and licensing problems. It handles most cases automatically.
If using a product key (not a subscription), open a Command Prompt as Administrator and type: cscript 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS' /act and press Enter.

This manually triggers the Office activation process. Replace Office16 with your version number if needed (e.g. Office19 for Office 2019).

When to Call a Professional

For business Microsoft 365 accounts, your IT administrator manages license assignments. Contact your IT department if your license was removed — they can reassign it in the Microsoft 365 admin center. For personal accounts, Microsoft's support team at support.microsoft.com can check your subscription status and help resolve it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between this error and 'Product activation failed'?

They are very similar and often have the same causes. 'Office isn't licensed' usually appears as a banner bar inside an open Office app. 'Product activation failed' usually appears as a full-screen block before Office opens. Both mean Office cannot verify your license — and both are fixed the same way.

My Office license is paid up. Why is it still showing this message?

A few things can cause this even with a valid paid license: You may be signed into a different Microsoft account that does not have the license. Office may not have been able to reach activation servers recently — try connecting to the internet and waiting. If you recently reset or reinstalled Windows, Office needs to re-verify the license. Sign out and back in from File > Account to force a fresh license check.

How often does Microsoft 365 need to connect to the internet to stay activated?

Microsoft 365 requires an internet connection at least once every 30 days to reconfirm your license. If you go more than 30 days without connecting, Office enters reduced functionality mode. Connecting to the internet and opening any Office app will reactivate it immediately. For offline use, Office 2019 and Office 2021 (one-time purchase versions) are better choices.