Office for Mac: 'View Only' Permission Error

Why can't I edit an Office document?

Activate / update license

If Word, Powerpoint, or Excel is giving you a message that the file can't be edited because of account permissions, it may be a licensing issue.

  1. Open Word.
     
  2. On the Menu Bar at the top of the screen select the Microsoft Word drop-down menu.
     
  3. Select Activate Microsoft 365 or Update License (whichever you see).
    Two images of the Word menu open with "Activate Microsoft 365" highlighted in the first one and "Update License" in the secondhighlighted
  4. Sign into your account using CSCC credentials. You may need to restart the office suite in order for the activation to take effect.
    Sign in to Microsoft 365 window

What else can I try?

If the above doesn't fix the issue, then you may need to sign out of Office and back in.

  1. Open Word and go the Word menu then Sign Out...
    Word menu open "Sign Out..." menu option selected
  2. Confirm you want to sign out on the pop up.
     
  3. Restart your Mac.
     
  4. Open Word and click Sign In in the upper left.
    Arrow pointing to "Sign in" icon on top left

 Need IT Support?

  Contact support: (614) 287-5050 | helpdesk@cscc.edu  
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Article ID: 736
Created
Wed 9/7/22 2:03 PM
Modified
Wed 9/18/24 1:53 PM
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