More Microsoft Account headaches: Office 2024 licensing bug finally gets detailed fix

Microsoft often highlights the benefits of a Microsoft account (MSA) as it points out the unified access users get across devices and services like Windows, Office, OneDrive, and Xbox, which can help in synchronization of files and settings for convenience. That is also why it is a mandatory requirement during Windows 11 installs.

However, there can be major problems too. For example, earlier this month, we reported on an incident wherein a Windows user was locked out of their Microsoft Account when Windows flagged their OneDrive upload activities, and apparently there was no way to recover their account. We discussed how, in such a case, users can lose all their data, especially if it's BitLocker encrypted, which is not all that unlikely on Windows 11 24H2. You can read the story in full in this article here.

Meanwhile, on the topic of MSA, Microsoft has finally released a detailed step-by-step guide for fixing the Office 2024 licensing bug. The tech giant had already published an update earlier back in December last year. While that was supposed to fix the issue, the problem likely persisted for many users.

For those who need a refresher, users whose Microsoft accounts held licenses for both Office 2024 and earlier editions like Office 2021. After upgrading to Office 2024, the MSA continued to display the older version.

At the time, Microsoft only stated that installing the latest version of the Office 2024 app would fix the issue. This week, though, a detailed guide has been shared. The company writes:

If you are still having this problem after installing the latest updates, please follow the steps below.

[Office 2024 Microsoft account Based]

1. Close all open Office apps, then navigate to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\Licenses.
2. Delete the Folder named “5” in that directory.
3. Launch any of the Office apps and sign in to the Microsoft account associated with Office 2024 then select Office 2024 from the available Office list.
4. Confirm Office 2024 shows on [Product Information].

[Office 2024 with Office Pre-installed PC for corporate]

1. Close all open Office apps and then navigate to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\Licenses.
2. Delete the Folder named “5” in that directory.
3. Launch any of the Office apps and follow the steps to use Office 2024.
4. Confirm Office 2024 shows on [Product Information].

You can find the support article here on Microsoft's official website.