• Activate Office 2016 Mac
• Activate Office 365 Subscription

Hello Andrea Maeda,

If I'm understanding you right, you're being asking to verify your license when using the Office 365 app that you downloaded from the Mac App Store. I'm happy to help you sort this out so you can start using that app the way you expected to.

Activate MS Office 2019/2016 for macOS - MicrosoftOffice2019VLSerializer Office 2019 above. Note that Office2019 DO NOT support activate via simple copy/paste plist license file which is the simplest way to activate Office 2016. Fortunately, you can also use the VL Serializer tool, just install Office 2019 and Serializer, then run Serializer to activate. Microsoft Office for Mac should now start installing. Once completed, click Close to exit the Installation Wizard. Once you attempt to launch any of the Microsoft Office Applications, you will be prompted to activate the software. From the Activation Wizard screen, choose Sign in to an existing Office 365.

Activate Office 2016 Mac

Have you purchased a copy of Office 365 previously? Although the apps that come with Microsoft Office 365 (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) are free to download from the Mac App Store, you may have to purchase Office in order to activate them before you're able to use them. According to the Microsoft website, once you purchase Office you should be provided with a product key you can use to activate Office on your Mac. As you'll see in the description section of the Microsoft Office 365 app in the Mac App Store, Office 365 offers annual subscriptions that can be billed to your App Store account. You should be able to view more information about all of this here: Microsoft - Office install. If you need more help with activating Microsoft Office 365, reach out to Microsoft using the 'contact us' link at the bottom of that website.

1. In the top menu bar select Finder Applications and scroll down to the Microsoft Office apps. Open any Office app, like Microsoft Word and in the What's New box that opens, select Get Started.
2. Unlock the full Microsoft Office experience with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription for your phone, tablet, PC, and Mac. Microsoft 365 annual subscriptions purchased from the app will be charged to your App Store account and will automatically renew within 24 hours prior to the end of the current subscription period unless auto-renewal is.

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care!

Activate Office 365 Subscription

Oct 11, 2019 4:24 PM

This article applies to: Central IT Service Group (CITSG) Support, Office 365 Productivity Bundle

What to Expect During the Installation

Starting the Office 365 upgrade process manually

Use these steps if you prefer to start the upgrade process manually, rather than waiting for your system to upgrade automatically after the deadline.

1. Open Self Service and click Microsoft Office – Activate Office 365 Version Self Service.
   
2. Click Activate O365.
   
3. The activation may take 1-2 minutes to complete.

4. The next time an Office application is opened, it will prompt you either to activate the product or to sign in immediately.
   • If you are prompted to activate the product when an Office app is opened:
     1. Click Activate in the yellow activation warning bar.
        
     2. Click the Sign in link at the bottom of the activation window.
        
     3. Log in using your Cornell NetID and password.
     4. The Office application will no longer display the yellow activation warning bar.
        
   • If you are prompted to sign in when opening an Office app:
     1. At the Microsoft Sign in window, type your NetID in the field labeled Email, phone, or Skype, then click Next.
        
     2. Log in using your Cornell NetID and password. The Office application should open normally.
        
5. To confirm your activated Office 365 license in any Office application, click the application name in the Menu bar, then click About. The license type should read “Office 365 Subscription.”
   

What to Expect After the Upgrade

• Dock shortcut icons
  For any Office applications that were in the Mac Dock, you will need to add them again to the Dock. (To do this, open the app to make its icon appear again in the Dock. Control-click the app’s icon, then choose Options > Keep in Dock.)
• Your Office 365 Subscription
  This Office installation will count toward the five total installations that you are allowed through Cornell’s Office 365 licensing. When you launch any Microsoft application in the suite, you will be automatically logged in based on your Mac login. (The assumption is that you are using an Active Directory-bound system.)
• OneDrive for Business
  If you still use OneDrive for Business, be aware that it will not be re-installed with Office 365. We recommend you use the OneDrive app moving forward. For more information, see Sync files with the OneDrive sync client on Mac OS X.
• If your upgrade fails
  In the unlikely event that your Office upgrade fails, leaving your system without Office applications installed locally, please submit a ticket to CIT Desktop Support immediately.
  Until your upgrade issue is resolved, use the web-based Office applications. Log in to the Office site, then click the Apps icon in the upper left-hand corner to open a menu of available web-based Office apps.

What to Expect from Future Office Updates

• Release Notes
  Release notes for each version and channel can be found on the following pages:
• Regular Office Updates
  Once the upgrade has been rolled out, users will be on a 'monthly channel.' This means new feature updates will be released monthly for the product. For details, see Overview of update channels for Office 365 ProPlus. Unlike previous Microsoft Office updates which users received as part of 'Patch Tuesdays,' these Office 365 client updates require the apps to be closed prior to starting the update.