If you’re seeing the error when you try to open the Word app on iOS, the issue is most likely occurring due to som cached data that was generated during the installation phase. In this case, you should be able to fix the issue by forcing the app to reset from the Settings menu. On macOS, you might end up seeing the ‘Machine activation error‘ due to the fact that you’re trying to access files that are actively being stored on OneDrive. In this case, you will need to activate Onedrive in order to eliminate the error message. In some cases, the error appears due to the fact that the Office ID account associated with Word is not signed in with your macOS machine. If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the issue by using the Lock Keychain feature of Keychain Access to activate your Word product properly on macOS. However, it’s also possible that your Keychain Access app contains conflicting data or some Office activation keys that you’re using are not properly managed by the Keychain Access app. In this case, you’ll need to reset your Keychain Access login password and delete any Office Activation keys that are currently being used. If the issue is only happening with Word 2016, you might be able to circumvent the issue by installing & using an older Word version instead of the latest version.
Resetting the Word app (iOS Only)
If you’re encountering the issue on an iPad or iPhone and you’ve just installed Word, chances are the issue is occurring due to a series of cached data that was generating during the installation sequence. Several iOS users that we’re struggling to resolve the ‘Machine activation error‘ have managed to fix the problem by going into Word’s setting and forcing the app to reset. After doing this and launching the Word app once again, the program opened with no issues. Here’s a short step-by-step guide that will allow you to reset the Word app (whether you’re seeing the error on IOS and Android): If the issue was previously being caused by some type of temporary cached data, you should no longer encounter the ‘Machine activation error‘.
Installing and Activating OneDrive
In case you’re seeing the ‘Machine activation error‘ after recently installing Word on a macOS system (coming from the Windows platform), you might need to activate OneDrive in order to be able to open and edit files that are stored on the cloud. This is not the ideal storage scheme, but Word is notoriously incompatible with Dropbox and iCloud, so your best bet at fixing the issue is to simply install and activate OneDrive on your Mac. Here’s a quick guide on installing and activating OneDrive on your machine:
Reinstalling every MS app
As it turns out, some affected users have managed to get this issue resolved by uninstalling every Microsoft application (including Word, Powerpoint, OneDrive, etc.) and then reinstalling them again through the official channels. The idea is to ensure that you remove any application that might be currently storing temporary data that might be interfering with license validation. Several affected users have reported that after doing this and restarting their computer, they were able to launch Word without encountering the ‘Machine activation error‘. Here’s a quick step by step guide on reinstalling every MS app:
Signing with Apple ID associated with Office using Keychain Access
As it turns out, the ‘Machine activation error‘ can also occur due to the fact that the Office ID account associated with Office is not signed in with your macOS machine. In this case, you should be able to fix the issue by using the Lock Keychain feature of Keychain Access in order to be able to activate your Word product properly on macOS. Here’s a quick guide on using Lock Keychain to fix the ‘Machine activation error‘ when opening word:
Clearing KeyChain on macOS & resetting all Office Activation keys
Some users that were previously seeing the Machine activation error or Unable to Activate Office error have confirmed that the issue was resolved after they managed to reset the entire login keychain and clearing any current Office activation keys from macOS. This operation might make you lose some data associated with Office Products, so it’s advisable to back up your files in advance or create a Time Machine backup before following the instructions below. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide that will allow you to clear login Keychains and reset every Office Activation key currently stored on your macOS:
Installing an older Word version (Office 2016)
Some affected users have confirmed that some older versions of Windows will not trigger this behavior. Although this is not the ideal solution, you should be able to fix the issue by downloading & installing an older Word package using the Microsoft Download Center. Note: This is only applicable if you’re encountering the issue with the Word version of Office 2016. Here’s a quick guide on obtaining and installing the older Word package through the official channels:
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