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I just purchased Office 365 through Apple App store. But when I open Excel I have message that I need to activate Office 365 to edit an existing file. Do I just need to wait a bit for my purchase through Apple to get to Microsoft? I am reluctant to subscribe (again) through Microsoft because I assume that will result in being charged twice. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.
iMac Line (2012 and Later)
Thank you for offering to help. I am still having problems but here is my update. Yes, my subscription does appear under my Apple ID. Before I contacted Microsoft Support I did try the activate button on the new Excel software. It gives me two options: either to purchase the subscription, or to activate an existing subscription. When I choose the first option it asks for my Apple ID information, takes me to the Apple site and tells me I have already purchased a subscription. Nothing about activating the software. So I tried the second option which asked me for my Microsoft account information, and then Microsoft tells me I have not yet purchased a subscription.
So then I opened a chat with MS Support. Their response is copied below.
"So Office licenses purchased through the App Store from Apple are handled differently than licenses purchased through Microsoft. Apple handles licensing in a different manner, and the product doesn't get tied to a Microsoft account as Apple deals with the license. Because of this, I don't have any access to info/tools that could help us get you up and running, so we'll want to get you over to Apple Support to help you with this issue."
And then I opened a chat with Apple Support. At first I was told that this was a Microsoft problem because all Apple did was act as middle-man seller of this Microsoft product. I showed them the same response above that I had already received from MS Support directing me to Apple. The chat was put on hold while they tried to find someone who could help. I was on a phone call on different matter when they resumed the chat and so they dropped me.
I plan to try again today with Apple support but if I am unable to resolve with them today, I will likely cancel my subscription through Apple and start over again by purchasing directly with Microsoft. If anyone has other suggestions I would appreciate a reply. Thank you.
Thank you for offering to help. I am still having problems but here is my update. Yes, my subscription does appear under my Apple ID. Before I contacted Microsoft Support I did try the activate button on the new Excel software. It gives me two options: either to purchase the subscription, or to activate an existing subscription. When I choose the first option it asks for my Apple ID information, takes me to the Apple site and tells me I have already purchased a subscription. Nothing about activating the software. So I tried the second option which asked me for my Microsoft account information, and then Microsoft tells me I have not yet purchased a subscription.
So then I opened a chat with MS Support. Their response is copied below.
"So Office licenses purchased through the App Store from Apple are handled differently than licenses purchased through Microsoft. Apple handles licensing in a different manner, and the product doesn't get tied to a Microsoft account as Apple deals with the license. Because of this, I don't have any access to info/tools that could help us get you up and running, so we'll want to get you over to Apple Support to help you with this issue."
And then I opened a chat with Apple Support. At first I was told that this was a Microsoft problem because all Apple did was act as middle-man seller of this Microsoft product. I showed them the same response above that I had already received from MS Support directing me to Apple. The chat was put on hold while they tried to find someone who could help. I was on a phone call on different matter when they resumed the chat and so they dropped me.
I plan to try again today with Apple support but if I am unable to resolve with them today, I will likely cancel my subscription through Apple and start over again by purchasing directly with Microsoft. If anyone has other suggestions I would appreciate a reply. Thank you.
Hello hershey06,
Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. I understand that your subscription is not being activated with Microsoft Office. I'll do what I can to help or point you to the right place.
First, check to see if the subscription is appearing on your Apple ID: View, change, or cancel your subscriptions
If it's not displaying there, make sure to log in with your Microsoft account to your apps as well then reach out to Microsoft directly for further help: Contact us - Microsoft Support
Have a great day.
I went through the same frustration with the activation. I downloaded the entire suite to see if anything worked. Oddly, the Onenote app did. I found that strange but didn't think too much about it.
I called Apple support, who couldn't figure out why I couldn't activate, transferred me to technical support, to see if I could return to the 32 bit OS. I was told to contact Microsoft before I called back. While I was waiting for Microsoft to call I fumbled through some of their troubleshooting and came across this, regarding Ipad: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/-no-subscription-error-or-problem-signing-into-office-for-ipad-using-an-office-365-organization-id-account-1ceccc05-6954-4fac-b12d-e54341ad898e?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
Apparently, on an Ipad I lost a year ago, Onenote (or maybe an Office version) was preinstalled. It was still associated with my AppleID. When I lost it, I locked it, but did not erase the Ipad or delete it from my account in the hope it would be found. I went into my Find My app, erased the IPad and then deleted it from my account. Opened up one of the apps in the MS Office 365 Suite, clicked "activate" and oh my goodness after two days of trying to install, reinstall, delete accounts, change payment options, cancel subscription, rebuy subscription, sign into Microsoft.com, etc, it worked like magic.
I am appalled the good folks at Apple support did not ask me if I had devices that may have had a previous version installed. I am even more appalled that ten hours later, I am still waiting for a call from Microsoft.
I hope this helps someone as it has stressed me out for two days. And it wasn't even on my computer but on my husband's, who is an attorney and who was batty that he lost all his docs.
Purchase of Office 365 through Apple app store
