Excel is read only on Family 365 Subscription on Mac Computer.

Hello abi enoy,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

Thank you for your post. I understand that you are having issue with Excel. I truly understand how you feel. Let me assist you go through this situation.

Thanks for explaining your situation so clearly. What you’re describing on your Mac and laptop (but not your desktop) is a fairly common issue when Microsoft 365 is either:

• not properly activated on the Mac, or
• signed in with an account that doesn’t have an active license, or
• opening files in “preview” or “protected view” from OneDrive.

Please try these steps to get your Excel working properly on your Mac and laptop:

1: Check Activation & Account

1. Open Excel on your Mac.
2. Go to the menu: Excel > About Excel — make sure it says “Microsoft 365 Subscription” and not “View Only” or “Unlicensed.”
3. Then go to Excel > Sign Out and sign back in with the same Microsoft account you used to purchase/activate Family 365.
4. After signing in, go to Help > Check for Updates and install any updates.

2: Verify License

1. Visit https://account.microsoft.com/services in a browser.
2. Log in with your Microsoft account.
3. Make sure your Family 365 subscription is active and that your account is listed as one of the users.

3: Check OneDrive Sync

Sometimes files opened directly from OneDrive web are in “read-only” or “preview” mode. Make sure you have the OneDrive app installed and signed in on your Mac. Open the files from the OneDrive folder on your Mac Finder, not from the browser.

For more detail check here please: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3

4: File Permissions

If these are shared files:

• Right-click the file in OneDrive > View Online > check if you have “Can Edit” permissions.
• If you only have “Can View,” you’ll need the owner to grant you edit access.

5: Protected View

If the files are downloaded from the internet or email, Excel may open them in Protected View.

• When you open the file, look for a yellow bar at the top saying “Protected View” and click Enable Editing.

If none of the above fixes it:

• Try removing Office completely from your Mac and reinstalling it fresh.
• Here’s the official uninstall guide: Uninstall Office on Mac

I hope this will help with your situation. Please feel free to let me know if you have any further update.

Best Regards,

Katerina- MSFT | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

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