How to Install and Activate Microsoft Office for Mac

How to Install and Activate Microsoft Office for Mac

  • Reading time:4 mins read

Setting up Microsoft Office on a Mac works differently from Windows: you redeem your product key against a Microsoft account first, then download and sign in. Here’s the full process for Office Home & Business 2021, 2019 and 2016 for Mac, and what to do when activation doesn’t go through.

What you’ll need

  • Your 25-character product key. Keys from us are delivered instantly on your order confirmation page, and are always available under Track Orders.
  • A Microsoft account (free — you can create one during setup).
  • A supported macOS version. Newer Office releases need a more recent macOS, so update macOS first if your Mac is behind.

Step 1 — Redeem your product key

  1. Go to office.com/setup in your browser.
  2. Sign in with your Microsoft account, or create one if you don’t have one yet.
  3. Enter your 25-character product key and confirm your country and language.
  4. The product is now tied to that Microsoft account. Use this same account for every step that follows.

Tip: write down which account you used. On a Mac, Office checks the account — not the key — every time it starts.

Step 2 — Download and install

  1. From the same page, click Install Office. The .pkg installer downloads to your Downloads folder.
  2. Open the .pkg file and follow the installer. Enter your Mac password when prompted.
  3. When it finishes, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook appear in your Applications folder.

You can also grab installers from our software download links page.

Step 3 — Activate

  1. Open Word (or any Office app) from Applications.
  2. On the What’s New screen, click Get Started.
  3. Click Sign In and enter the same Microsoft account you used to redeem the key.
  4. Office confirms the licence and activation completes.

To check it worked, open any Office app and choose Word → About Word. You should see your licence listed rather than a trial notice.

If activation fails

  • “Sign in to activate” keeps reappearing — you’re almost certainly signed in with a different Microsoft account than the one you redeemed the key on. Sign out (Word → Sign Out), then sign back in with the correct account.
  • An old trial or a previous install is in the way — sign out of every Office app, quit them all, restart the Mac, then sign in again.
  • “This product key has already been used” — open a support ticket with your order number. Our keys carry a 7-day activation warranty and we’ll replace a key that genuinely won’t activate.
  • You need to swap in a different key — see how to change your Office product key.

Which Office for Mac should you buy?

All three are perpetual desktop releases for one Mac, and all include Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook:

Not sure which Office suits you? Read which Microsoft Office to buy, or compare Office 2021 vs Microsoft 365. Browse everything in Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Microsoft account to activate Office for Mac?
Yes. On macOS the key is redeemed against a Microsoft account, and the apps then verify that account. Make sure you sign in with the same account you redeemed the key on.

Can I install Office for Mac on two Macs with one key?
No — each key covers one Mac.

Does Office Home & Business for Mac include Outlook?
Yes. Home & Business includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Will an Office for Windows key work on a Mac?
No. Office for Mac needs a Mac edition key; Windows keys will not redeem for macOS.

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