Forum Discussion
Excel 365 activation request preventing Excel-for-Mac 16.114.2 from saving file.
- Nov 02, 2026
Thank you for explaining what happened! I spent several hours constructing a backup using "Numbers" but, as I expected, a number of the functions in Excel either did not operate the same in Numbers OR were not available; I needed the backup in case I could not resolve the Excel issue.
I had "automatic updates" enabled and that seems to have caused Microsoft Updater to install updates later than 16.78; I cannot recall what version was installed before 16.114.2 but it was the one immediately prior to "114" and there was no problem with the licence -- as I said I had been using the spreadsheet virtually every day since October 1.
In desperation, I opened the old (Excel) spreadsheet using Numbers AND IT WORKED EXACTLY AS I WANTED IT! Printing the spreadsheet / report is the only problem; I need to do a lot more research to specify the different areas which make up the "report", as I have not yet found a "Print Setup" function in Numbers and printing is a bit "clunky" without it.
THANK YOU and the two others who responded; while you did not resolve the licensing issue, you set me on the track to using Numbers as a usable substitute, ending my 37-year love affair with Excel! (I once made the outrageous statement that "the world's computing problems could be solved by Excel + Word + a Macintosh" 😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you again, and goodbye!
Your installed Excel version and your Office 2019 entitlement do not match: Microsoft identifies 16.78 as the last Mac build supporting Office 2019 licences. Version 16.114.2 therefore cannot be activated using that older entitlement. This explains an activation problem without establishing that your Mac was hacked, and buying Microsoft 365 is not the only option. First select Cancel at the close warning and keep Excel open while you preserve the unsaved changes; record critical formulas and values separately, and back up the existing workbook. Do not reinstall or remove licences before protecting that work. Then verify the Office 2019 purchase under the Microsoft account used to redeem it. To continue with that licence, you need an Office 2019-compatible installation, although its support ended in October 2023. Office 2024 for Mac is Microsoft’s newer one-time-purchase alternative if you want a supported product without a subscription.
- VelcroJP3Nov 02, 2026Tin Contributor
Thank you for explaining what happened! I spent several hours constructing a backup using "Numbers" but, as I expected, a number of the functions in Excel either did not operate the same in Numbers OR were not available; I needed the backup in case I could not resolve the Excel issue.
I had "automatic updates" enabled and that seems to have caused Microsoft Updater to install updates later than 16.78; I cannot recall what version was installed before 16.114.2 but it was the one immediately prior to "114" and there was no problem with the licence -- as I said I had been using the spreadsheet virtually every day since October 1.
In desperation, I opened the old (Excel) spreadsheet using Numbers AND IT WORKED EXACTLY AS I WANTED IT! Printing the spreadsheet / report is the only problem; I need to do a lot more research to specify the different areas which make up the "report", as I have not yet found a "Print Setup" function in Numbers and printing is a bit "clunky" without it.
THANK YOU and the two others who responded; while you did not resolve the licensing issue, you set me on the track to using Numbers as a usable substitute, ending my 37-year love affair with Excel! (I once made the outrageous statement that "the world's computing problems could be solved by Excel + Word + a Macintosh" 😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you again, and goodbye!
- ot116Nov 02, 2026Brass Contributor
MS (Microsoft) Office ürünleri ve tek seferlik satın alma sonucu 🤔 , windows sistemli bilgisayarlarda 🖥️ , 1 veya 2 cihaz için, kullanım ömrü (MS ürün desteklenmesi değil) kaç yıldır?