Bought Microsoft 365 for personal. Keeps showing work email in license

March 20, 2024 7:30 AM

My company has Office 365 that I'm subscribed to under my work email license. I recently deleted the programs from my personal computer (MacBook Pro) and bought my own home-use 365 subscription. When I go to the "About" for Word or PowerPoint, it's showing my work email and license.

I was tired of having my company's software on my home computer (MacBook Pro), so I deleted the programs and then bought my own subscription to 365 for Mac, but I can't get it to stop using my company's license/email even though I deleted it. I followed these instructions to get rid of the company software before downloading and installing my own. I guess it didn't work.

I have searched everything I can think of to find a solution. I have also searched everything I can think of to find a phone number that would connect me to an actual human being who could help me with this. Couldn't find one of those.

I have posted to the Microsoft Forums but don't have much hope there.

posted by tzikeh to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Best answer: It sounds like there's some lingering Microsoft account information that's surviving the Office reinstall. Searching around, I found this similar-sounding Microsoft Forums thread, that mentions a license removal tool. Might be worth a shot.
posted by fifthrider at 7:46 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: fifthrider: I found this similar-sounding Microsoft Forums thread, that mentions a license removal tool. Might be worth a shot.

Thank you, that worked.

This just makes me sad. I've noticed a recent pattern of me coming to Ask MeFi again and again with tech issues. For 35 years, I was the person people went to for tech help with their computers and devices. I knew how to solve it, or I knew how to find out how to solve it. I used to *build* the things, ffs. Now I can't even execute a google search that will reliably return pertinent links. Am I losing it, or have computers and the internet just become impenetrable?

I used to *know* this stuff.
posted by tzikeh at 8:00 AM on March 20 [9 favorites]

Glad to hear that worked!

Am I losing it, or have computers and the internet just become impenetrable?

I think this is probably more of an adjustment of expectations rather than things getting inherently harder, so I wouldn't worry too much. Seemingly standalone programs having separate subscription components is enough of a change from past practice that it takes some getting used to, even just to Google the right thing.
posted by fifthrider at 8:05 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Now I can't even execute a google search that will reliably return pertinent links.

Eh, searching the web is almost useless these days, it's not just you. But in case it's helpful this search term returns the license removal tool as the first hit in both DuckDuckGo and Google:

macos remove microsoft 365 license

I always search in an incognito tab with an adblocker running to help minimize algorithmic dross.
posted by bcwinters at 8:07 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: fifthrider: Seemingly standalone programs having separate subscription components is enough of a change from past practice

bcwinters: macos remove microsoft 365 license

Yeah, and this is what I mean about falling behind in tech - removing a license did not occur to me as useful search terms. I searched for "uninstall office 365" because, in my life experience with computers, when you want to get rid of something on the computer, you uninstall it. I knew enough to know it would take more than just throwing the application in the trash, and that there would be library and support files to remove as well, so I thought I had it.

Just falling behind when I used to be ahead; I guess it's the way of all things.
posted by tzikeh at 8:32 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]

Don't feel bad tzikeh. I recently fired up my Delphi (2010) to try to write something.

Things I used to know intimately, I can no longer remember how to do. Sucked.
posted by Windopaene at 8:36 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]