Office license error – Unable to connect to licensing helper

If you have Microsoft Office installed on your MacBook, you might run into this error unable to connect to licensing helper. The result is inability to edit documents across all Microsoft applications including Word, Excel and Powerpoint. But, we have a solution to this issue. 

microsoft office error

Step 1 – Fire up Terminal app. You can find this hidden in Others folder in Launchpad. 

Step 2 – Type in this command. It will give you super user access. It may ask for your computer’s password

sudo –s

Step 3 –  This command will ensure Microsoft activation processes launch properly. 

launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist

Step 4 – This command ensures proper permissions are given to the Microsoft activation app. 

chmod 4755 /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper

And that is it. Fire up any Office app and try reactivating it. Make sure to use the correct Microsoft account that contains your license, otherwise nothing will work. You also do not need to reinstall Microsoft Office for executing aforementioned commands, which is also a big plus. 

After that, you will be able to update your Office to latest version.