4 Best Fixes for ‘Your Account Doesn’t Allow Editing on a Mac’ Error in Microsoft 365

The Microsoft 365 subscription provides access to Microsoft Office apps for your Mac. You can select from the Premium or Essentials plan to access apps such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook on your Mac based on your specific requirements.

Some users report they cannot edit files with Microsoft apps on Mac. The error ‘Your account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac’ appears in apps like Word and Excel. If you are encountering the same, here are the best troubleshooting methods to fix the ‘your account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac’ error.

1. Check Microsoft 365 Subscription Status

The first solution to resolve this error on your Mac is to check your subscription status. You need a Microsoft 365 subscription to use apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more on your Mac. You can download the apps, but you will only be able to use them if you sign in. Here’s how to check your subscription status:

Step 1: Open the Office Website in a web browser on your Mac.

Step 2: Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.

Step 3: Click the profile icon at the top-right corner.

Step 4: Click on My Microsoft Account.

Step 5: Select Manage Microsoft 365 under Subscriptions.

Check your subscription’s status and payment method by adding a new one to your Microsoft 365 account.

Step 6: After confirming the subscription status, open any Microsoft app on your Mac and check if the problem is resolved.

If your Microsoft account still doesn’t allow editing on Mac, try logging in again in your Microsoft 365 apps. This simple solution can help fix this error.

Step 1: Open any Microsoft 365 app on your Mac, like Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Click your profile picture at the top-left corner of the Microsoft Word window.

Step 3: Click Sign Out.

Step 4: Click Sign Out again to confirm.

Step 5: Click on the profile picture icon again at the top-left corner.

Step 6: Enter your Microsoft account credentials to sign in.

Open a file and check if you can edit it now.

3. Clear Cache Files for Microsoft 365 Apps

This is an advanced solution if you experience the error ‘Your account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac.’ The app cache on your Mac improves app responsiveness. However, over time, the cache can become corrupted and cause issues like this. We recommend clearing the cache files for Microsoft 365 apps on your Mac.

Step 1: Launch all the Microsoft 365 apps installed on your Mac and sign out from your account using the steps mentioned above.

Step 2: On the home screen of your Mac, click Go in the top Menu Bar.

Select Go To Folder from the list of options.

Step 4: Type ~/Library in the search bar and press Return.

Step 5: In the Library folder window, scroll down and open the Group Containers folder.

Step 6: Search for the files in the Group Containers folder and delete them. Step 7: Close the window and empty the Recycle Bin to permanently delete those files. Step 8: Launch the apps again and check if the problem is solved.

If none of the solutions have worked, update the Microsoft 365 apps on your Mac. There may be a bug in the current version causing the issue.

Step 1: Open Spotlight Search by pressing Command + Spacebar. Type “App Store” and press Return.

Step 2: Click on Updates from the left menu.

Step 3: Press Command + R to check for updates.
Step 4: Download and install any available updates.
Step 5: Open the app and check if the problem is solved.

These solutions fix the error ‘Your account doesn’t allow editing on a Mac.’ Read our post to learn the best practices for securely using your Microsoft 365 account.