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Microsoft Office Applications

I am confused as to why I no longer have access to Word/Power Point/Excel on my Apple IMAC when I purchased it years ago. The system is now asking me to purchase again in order to use. When I purchased it, I did so by activating the applications online. Please help me

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 16, 2020 1:36 PM

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Posted on Oct 16, 2020 1:41 PM

What versions of Word/Power Point/Excel do you have exactly?


macOS 10.15 Catalina will not run 32 bit apps so Office 2011 and earlier apps no longer work, and would require you purchase newer compatible versions. Office 365 or Office 2019 are the current options offered by Microsoft.


If these were Apps you use regularly, the update to macOS Catalina should have warned you about this.


See here: 32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later - Apple Support


You can of course use alternatives such as Apple's own Pages, Keynote and numbers to open your Microsoft documents or 3rd party alternatives such as LibreOffice.


7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 16, 2020 1:41 PM in response to NelGray

What versions of Word/Power Point/Excel do you have exactly?


macOS 10.15 Catalina will not run 32 bit apps so Office 2011 and earlier apps no longer work, and would require you purchase newer compatible versions. Office 365 or Office 2019 are the current options offered by Microsoft.


If these were Apps you use regularly, the update to macOS Catalina should have warned you about this.


See here: 32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later - Apple Support


You can of course use alternatives such as Apple's own Pages, Keynote and numbers to open your Microsoft documents or 3rd party alternatives such as LibreOffice.


Oct 16, 2020 1:44 PM in response to NelGray

It looks like you recently updated your iMac to macOS 10.15 (Catalina). macOS Catalina no longer supports 32-bit applications. That means that versions of Microsoft Office 2011 and earlier will no longer work on your iMac. Office 2016 (fully updated) and later will run on macOS Catalina. If you have Office 2011 or earlier you will need to upgrade. Microsoft does not offer free upgrades. You either subscribe to Microsoft 365 which contains all of the Office apps for Mac, or you can purchase a standalone single seat license for Office 2019. See Microsoft’s product listings for the Mac with the link below.


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Oct 16, 2020 4:36 PM in response to NelGray

Unless you are subscribed to Office 365 (monthly or yearly payment) you can’t simply get free updates through the App store for Office.


So again, what versions of the office Apps do you have?


As I said before, if you don’t want to pay for a new version of Office, your options are:

...Apple's own Pages, Keynote and numbers to open your Microsoft documents or 3rd party alternatives such as LibreOffice.





Oct 16, 2020 4:45 PM in response to NelGray

NelGray Said:

"Microsoft Office Application: I am confused as to why I no longer have access to Word/Power Point/Excel on my Apple IMAC when I purchased it years ago. The system is now asking me to purchase again in order to use. When I purchased it, I did so by activating the applications online. Please help me"

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Contact Microsoft Support:

Inform then if this error. It is licensed per install. So, ask Microsoft if they will grant you a new key.


Start Here:  Microsoft Contact Us Virtual Agent - Microsoft Support

Microsoft Office Applications

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