Fix: Account Doesn’t Allow Editing on a Mac (Microsoft Office)

Your Microsoft Office account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac?

 

 

Microsoft Office is the first name that pops into one’s mind when it comes to Office automation. It offers a wide range of applications that allow users to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and even exchange emails. Since Microsoft Office is a well-maintained application, thousands of businesses use it all around the world. 

However, if you are a regular Office 365 user, you might already know that Microsoft Office is prone to errors. Sometimes apps such as Word and Excel fail to respond and crash, just when we need them the most. 

Lately, several users have reported that their Microsoft Office account does not allow them to edit files on their MacBook. If you are facing a similar issue, you are in the right place. 

This guide will walk you through the process of fixing the editing error in a few steps. Don’t worry; the methods are simple to follow, and even if you are technophobic, you’ll do just fine.  

Let’s get started. 

• 1. Recheck Your License.
• 2. Repair Disk Permissions. 
• 3. Activate Office. 
• 4. Reinstall Office 365. 

 

1. Recheck Your License.

As mentioned earlier, sometimes Microsoft doesn’t recognize your Office 365 license. As a result, documentation tools like Word and Excel crash unexpectedly, and your screen displays the ‘Your account doesn’t allow editing on a mac’ error message. 

A simple solution to this issue is to check if the license provided to you is correct. Once you recheck your license, you can proceed to the troubleshooting steps. 

Here is what you need to do:

1. Use the link http://portal.office.com to log in to the Office 365 portal. 

 

2. Once you are logged in, click on Settings and select Office 365.
3. Now click on Subscriptions. 

 

4. Scroll down to locate the License section. Under the License section, check for the ‘latest desktop version’ of Office. 
5. If you cannot locate it, contact your admin and purchase the correct license. However, if your screen displays the ‘latest desktop version,’ proceed to the next steps. 
6. Connect your device to a stable internet connection and sign out of your Office 365 account. 
7. Open the Library folder and select Group Containers. 
8. Find the files mentioned below and delete them if present.

UBF8T346G9.ms

UBF8T346G9.Office

UBF8T346G9.OfficeOsfWebHost

 

9. Once done, log in to your Office 365 account and check if the Office applications are working fine. 

You should now be able you use Office applications without any issues. However, if the application crashes between operations again, see the next method below. 

 

 

2. Repair Disk Permissions. 

Like other operating systems, directories on Mac have their own permissions. Permissions enhance your operating system’s security system as they do not allow programs to modify your system files without your consent. 

If you face an error on your Mac, such as an editing error, repairing your permissions is a safe place to start. Doing so will the broken or outdated permissions that are causing the error. 

Follow the steps mentioned below to repair disk permissions:

1. Download CleanMyMac X on your Mac to repair disk permissions. 
2. Once the program is installed, open it and click on Maintenance. 
3. Now select Repair Disk Permissions to fix the error. 

 

Once the process is complete, you can now check if the Office applications work fine. We recommend clearing the system junk and cached files by clicking on System Junk in the CleanMyMac X program. Doing so will enhance the performance of your device.

 

 

3. Activate Office. 

There are times when Office applications such as Excel and Word fail to detect if they are activated. As a result, these apps crash when you try to operate them, and your screen displays an error. 

You can resolve this issue by activating Office on your Mac. 

Here is how you can do it:

1. Open any Office app like Word on Excel on your Mac. 
2. In the What’s New window, click on Get Started. 

 

3. Sign in to your Office account and let the activation complete. 
4. Once done, try using an app to check if doing so resolved the error. 

Activating the Office will fix the corruption errors that were causing the apps to crash. Hopefully, you can now use the Office apps on your Mac without any issues. 

 

 

4. Reinstall Office 365.

If none of the methods mentioned above work for you, try reinstalling Microsoft Office. There is a chance that the corruption error lies in Microsoft Office’s components like the registry values. In this case, uninstalling Office 365 and then reinstalling it will solve the issue. 

Here is how you can reinstall Office 365 on your device:

1. Uninstall Office 365 from your device. 
2. Once done, go to www.office.com and sign in with the account associated with this version of Office 365. 
3. Once you have signed in, select Install Office from the homepage. 
4. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen to complete the operation. 
5. Once done, go to Setup in Chrome.
6. In the User Account Control (UAC), select Yes to finish the installation. 

That’s it. You can now activate the Office by following the steps mentioned in Method 3. Your Office apps should work fine now. 

This wraps up our guide on fixing the Account Doesn’t Allow Editing on a Mac (Microsoft Office) error code. We hope that our easy troubleshooting methods helped you solve the issue on your Mac once and for all. If you still have any questions, please let us know in the comment section down below.

 

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