How do I activate Microsoft 365

To activate Microsoft 365 on your new Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365: Open any Microsoft 365 app (like Word or Excel) and sign in using the account associated with your paid subscription. Make sure you are using your Work or School account if applicable.
2. Check for Updates: Ensure that your Microsoft 365 apps are up to date. You can do this by opening a Microsoft 365 app, going to File > Account, and selecting Update options > Update now.
3. Reset Activation State: If you are still having issues, you may need to reset the activation state. You can find instructions on how to do this in the Microsoft support documentation.
4. Check License Assignment: If you are using a Work or School account, ensure that you have a license assigned. You may need to contact your Microsoft 365 administrator for assistance.
5. Reinstall Microsoft 365: If the above steps do not work, consider uninstalling and then reinstalling Microsoft 365. You can use the Microsoft 365 Uninstall troubleshooter to help with this process.

After following these steps, try to activate Microsoft 365 again. If you continue to experience issues, further troubleshooting may be necessary.

Hi,

Your Microsoft 365 apps aren’t working because they’re either not activated or the installation is incomplete/conflicted common on new Windows 11 PCs with preinstalled Office components. Outlook works because it can run in limited mode, and Defender is part of Windows not Office.

What I suggest is:

Sign in with the correct Microsoft account linked to your subscription.

Check activation in Word/Excel → File → Account.

Repair Office (Quick Repair → Online Repair).

If still broken, uninstall all Office versions and reinstall fresh from Microsoft 365 Download.

 I Hope this helps!

The new computer may have a preinstalled trial version of Office. Uninstall the trial and then install the correct version from your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services.