Account or subscription verification errors activating Microsoft 365 Apps

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Microsoft 365

When you try to activate Microsoft 365 Apps, you encounter one of the following errors:

We couldn't verify the subscription

Error: Unable to verify the account

Couldn’t verify account. We are having trouble verifying your Microsoft 365 account on this computer. Most features will be turned off on (date).

Try the following troubleshooting methods to solve the problem.

Note Some of these troubleshooting methods can only be performed by a Microsoft 365 admin. If you aren’t an admin, see How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?

Activating Microsoft 365 on Windows 8.1 or earlier

To activate Microsoft 365 Apps, TLS 1.2 must be enabled on the operating system. Some older operating systems, such as Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Windows Server 2012, require an update to enable TLS 1.2 by default.

Important Running Microsoft 365 Apps on these older operating systems isn't supported. For more information, see End of support resources for Office.

  1. If you are running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008, make sure that Service Pack 1 is installed.
  2. Enable TLS 1.2 as the default protocol by using this easy fix, and then restart the device.
  3. From Start, select Control Panel > Internet options > Advanced settings.
  4. If TLS 1.2 isn’t checked, check it, then select Apply and OK.
  5. Restart the device, and then try activating Microsoft 365 again.

Update Microsoft 365

It is recommended that Microsoft 365 be configured to install updates automatically. To check for updates, open an Office app (such as Word), select File, and then select Account. Select Update options, and then select Update now.

Reset Microsoft 365 activation state

Run the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA) to reset the Microsoft 365 activation state.

For manual steps or more information, see Reset Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise activation state.

Reset your password

Go to https://portal.office.com/account and select Security & privacy. Reset your password, then try activating Microsoft 365 again.

Sign out of Office and sign back in
  1. Open an Office app, such as Word.
  2. Select your name and profile picture or icon at the top.
  3. Select Sign out.
  4. Select Sign in.
  5. Make sure you are signed in with your Work or School account, not your personal Microsoft account.
  6. Try activating Microsoft 365 again.

Make sure you have the correct Office installed

Go to https://portal.office.com/account to check which Office version and edition you have available.

If no Office version is shown, you don’t have an Office license assigned to the account you are signed in with. If you are signed in with your Work or School account, and don’t have a license assigned, contact your Microsoft 365 Administrator to get a license assigned. How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin?

If you have Microsoft 365 for Business Basic, you won’t have any Office applications to install. You can use Office Online apps at https://office.com.

Make sure that the version listed (32-bit or 64-bit) matches your version of Windows. To check what version of Windows you have installed, go to Start > Settings (gear icon) > System > About, and check the System type.

If you have a different edition or version installed on your device, run the SaRA package to uninstall Office. Restart the device, and install from https://portal.office.com/account to get the correct version.


Make sure user licenses are assigned
  1. In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, go to the Users > Active users page.
  2. Select the row of the user that you want to assign a license to.
  3. In the right pane, select Licenses and Apps.
  4. Expand the Licenses section, select the boxes for the licenses that you want to assign, then select Save changes.
  5. If the license is already assigned, uncheck it, select Save changes, then check it again and select Save changes again.

Repair Microsoft 365

Try the steps in the article Repair an Office application.

Check whether you're behind a proxy server

Are you behind a proxy server? If you're not sure, ask your administrator. If so, you (or your administrator) might have to change the proxy settings for Windows HTTP clients. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator. From Start, type cmd.exe in the search box, right-click Command Prompt in the list, and then select Run as administrator.
  2. Type the following command, and then press Enter: netsh winhttp set proxy < Address of proxy server >

You need to allow the URLs and IP addresses in this list.

You can also allow Microsoft 365 to bypass the proxy server by creating a PAC file. For more information about creating a PAC file, see Managing Microsoft 365 endpoints.

Check whether you're behind a firewall

Are you behind a firewall? If you're not sure, ask your administrator. If you're behind a firewall, it might have to be configured to enable access to the following:

  • officecdn.microsoft.com
  • ols.officeapps.live.com/olsc
  • activation.sls.microsoft.com
  • odc.officeapps.live.com
  • crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureServer.crl
  • crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftRootAuthority.crl
  • crl.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureCommunicationsPCA.crl
  • www.microsoft.com/pki/crl/products/MicrosoftProductSecureCommunicationsPCA.crl
  • go.microsoft.com
  • Office15client.microsoft.com
  • login.windows.net
  • login.microsoft.com
  • login.microsoftonline.com
  • crl.microsoft.com
  • cdn.odc.officeapps.live.com
  • ajax.aspnetcdn.com
  • officeclient.microsoft.com
  • aadcdn.msauth.net
  • aadcdn.msauthimages.net
  • enterpriseregistration.windows.net

Each firewall will have a different method to enable access to these URIs. Check your software's documentation for instructions or ask your administrator to do this for you.

For more information about Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise URLs and IP addresses, see the following Microsoft article: Microsoft 365 URLs and IP address ranges.