Microsoft access

ckes7 wrote:

When I try to edit a file, or write in a new one, nothing happens. The new text doesn't appear. A message appears above telling me to activate Microsoft.

Like this:

Sounds like your Microsoft Office version lost its activation. Click where it says to activate it, and follow the prompts. You will likely need your Office activation code / key for that, or to log in to the account that holds the Office 365 subscription you are paying for.

ckes7 wrote:

Hmm, do you think the old activation would still work?

Yes, it should still work. You will need the account information used for that subscription. Of course, if it was being paid with your husbands card, and it has been cancelled, then the subscription would probably no longer be valid. But even if it was, you would need his account information.

You may need to request access to your Husbands's accounts. Apple offers a way to access that. click here ➜ How to request access to a deceased family member's Apple account - Apple Support

Microsoft may have a similar option of that.

Otherwise, you can get your own subscription on Microsoft's website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/microsoft-365, and log in with that account then.

That depends on how you are trying to create or edit them.

Microsoft Office applications have always required a separate purchase to your Mac. Microsoft and Apple are 2 completely different companies and Microsoft Office needs to be legally purchased from Microsoft to be used on a Mac. They have never been included with a Mac by default.

You can use Apple's free alternatives: Pages, Numbers and Keynote. They are capable of opening Microsoft Office files.

If you used to have the Microsoft Office application suite previously, and recently upgraded your Mac to a new operating system version, your old Office applications may not work any more. As such you would need to purchase a newer version of Microsoft's applications form them to run on a newer operating system.

Of course, this is all speculation, as you have not provided any type of details or context about your issue.

What happens when you try to open a Microsoft Office file exactly?

Did you recently update your Mac? Or is this a new Mac?

Do you have Microsoft's application installed previously and now they don't work?

Please explain in as much detail as possible what happened, and what is happening currently when you try to create or edit an Office file.

ckes7 wrote:

I thought Microsoft had always come on my Mac, included with purchase.

Never been the case. It has always been a separate purchase, recently it's been changed to a subscription model.

I can open files, but not edit them. I cannot create new documents.

What happens when you try to edit them? What happens when you try to create new ones?

Do you get an error? If so, what does it say?

What operating system did you have before? What operating system did you upgrade or update to recently?

Office 2008/2011 and 32-bit Office 2016 for Mac (32-bit) applications are not supported on macOS Catalina or later. Nor are the Microsoft 365 subscriptions to those old applications. If this is the case, you will need current Microsoft 365 subscription applications, or Office 2019/2021 for Mac application suites, and their respective current licensing.

Microsoft also offers access to the free version of MS Office on the web when signed into a Microsoft account.