Cannot figure out what account my Microsoft Office for Mac is linked to? The belongs to: is empty.

Question

Cannot figure out what account my Microsoft Office for Mac is linked to? The belongs to: is empty.

Brian Finch 0

When I open one of my Office for Mac apps, for instance Excel, and go to the about Excel, my Belongs to: is empty. How can I determine which Microsoft account my Office for Mac is linked to? I inherited this Mac for a former employee when I started I took this new position.

Brian Finch 0 Reputation points

2025-12-02T20:28:41.4633333+00:00

When I tried to sign out it just says (null)? next to the account name. There are no Microsoft accounts in the Keychain access and no Microsoft emails in the former employees email account.

2 answers

Your answer

Brian Finch 0 Reputation points

2025-12-02T20:28:41.4633333+00:00

When I tried to sign out it just says (null)? next to the account name. There are no Microsoft accounts in the Keychain access and no Microsoft emails in the former employees email account.

Answer 1

Dear Brian Finch
Welcome and Thank You for Sharing Your Issue in the Q&A Forum

Based on the information you provided, I understand the challenge you are facing. However, the details are not sufficient for me to determine the most appropriate solution. To clarify the situation, I kindly ask you to provide the following:

1.License Information

In Excel > About Microsoft Excel
Take a screenshot of the license details.

User's image

2.Account Sign-In Screen

If you see an option to Sign in, click it.
Take a screenshot of the page where it shows (null) or any account information.

Please attach these screenshots in your reply. If you prefer not to share this information publicly, you can respond privately. I will follow up with a secure message to collect the necessary details. This information will help me better understand the issue and provide the most appropriate solution for you.

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to assisting you further and resolving this matter promptly.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

Brian Finch 0

My apologies in the delay of my response. I have continued to try to troubleshoot this. The (null) is now gone and we are left with trying to access an email from a former co-worker.

We have been unsuccessful in verifying their account information. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Tammy-Ng 5,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T02:35:31.76+00:00
Dear Brian Finch

Thank you for your response; your feedback is very important.

Based on the information gathered, I propose the following plan to determine the next steps. The key detail we need from you is whether you have Administrator (Admin) privileges on your Mac.

Please confirm: Do you have Administrator rights on this Mac?

This means you can install or uninstall software and make significant system changes without requiring an IT password or intervention.

Two Possible Paths Forward

If You have Administrator Rights You can resolve this issue yourself using the Microsoft Office License Removal Tool for Mac.

Detailed Steps:

Download and run the License Removal Tool from Microsoft: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193

Restart your Mac.

Open any Office application (e.g., Excel) and sign in with your current Microsoft 365/Office 365 work account to reactivate.

This process will completely remove the link to the former coworker’s account.

If You don't have Administrator Rights

Contact your company’s IT department.

The Office license may be provisioned via a Volume License Key, or the device may be centrally managed. Only IT will have the necessary Admin privileges to run the License Removal Tool or properly assign a valid license to your account.

Important Data Backup Warning: Before performing any license removal steps, ensure all critical files and data are safely backed up.

Pay special attention to local files or files pending synchronization:

Check OneDrive Status: Access OneDrive via your browser and confirm that all active files have successfully synced and appear there.

Local Files: If you have files outside your OneDrive folder (e.g., on your Desktop or in Documents), manually upload them to OneDrive or copy them to another secure location (such as an external drive).

This backup step ensures your work data remains secure during the Office activation troubleshooting process.
If you ever need more assistance, feel free to post your questions in the forum the entire community is here and happy to support you.

If you found my reply helpful, please consider upvoting it to mark it as an answer.

Warm thanks!
Tammy-Ng 5,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T04:56:31.02+00:00

Dear Brian Finch

If you still have further concerns, please feel free to let us know.
Tammy-Ng 5,510 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-08T03:39:25.05+00:00

Dear Brian Finch

Would you please get back to me at your earliest convenience?

Your response is important for continued troubleshooting.

If you need further help, please provide more detailed information so that I can offer more accurate suggestions.

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Cannot figure out what account my Microsoft Office for Mac is linked to? The belongs to: is empty.

2 answers

Your answer