Office error code 0x80070005 when activating Office

Do you get this error when you try to activate Office 365, Office 2013, or Office 2016? Sometimes Office has trouble completing the activation process. If this happens, you'll see the following error message in Office:

"We're sorry, something went wrong and we can't do this for you right now. Please try again later. (0x80070005)"

Here are some things you can try to fix the problem.

Get the latest updates for Office

Update Office to make sure you have the latest fixes for activation errors.

To update Office

1. Open any Office application, like Word or Excel.

2. Click File > Account.

3. Under Product Information, click Update Options > Update Now.

   

   Notes: 

   • If you don't see Update Now, click Update Options >Enable Updates to turn on automatic updates. After that, click Update Options > Update Now.

   • 

Run Office as an administrator to complete the activation

Running Office as administrator helps fix permission issues that might cause Office activation to fail. Follow the steps below for your operating system.

Windows 10 step-by-step

Close all Office programs. Press the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen. Type an application name, like Word. The Word program icon appears in the search results. Right-click the Word icon, and select Run as administrator. Select Yes to allow Office to run as administrator. Try to reactivate Office by selecting the Reactivate button (if shown in a banner) or go to File > Account > Activate Product.

Windows 8.1 step-by-step

Close all Office programs. In Windows 8.1, right-click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen, and then select Search. Type an application name, like Word. The Word program icon appears in the search results. Right-click the Word icon, and select Run as administrator. Select Yes to allow Office to run as administrator. Try to reactivate Office by selecting the Reactivate button (if shown in a banner) or go to File > Account > Activate Product.

Windows 8 step-by-step

Close all Office programs. In Windows 8, move your mouse to the upper-right corner of your screen to open the charms bar, and then select the Search icon. Type an application name, like Word. The Word program icon appears in the search results. Right-click the Word icon, and select Run as administrator. Select Yes to allow Office to run as administrator. Try to reactivate Office by selecting the Reactivate button (if shown in a banner) or go to File > Account > Activate Product.

Windows 7 step-by-step

Close all Office programs. Press the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen. In the Search programs and files box, type an application name, like Word. The Word program icon appears in the search results. Right-click the Excel icon, and select Run as administrator. If prompted, select Yes to allow Office to run as administrator. Try to reactivate Office by selecting the Reactivate button (if shown in a banner) or go to File > Account > Activate Product.

Use the Activation Troubleshooter for Office 365 and Office 2016

This troubleshooter runs on Windows PCs and can fix activation errors for Office 365, Office 2016, and individual Office 2016 apps, like Visio, Project, Word, and Outlook. If you're using Office 2013, you'll need to fix Unlicensed Product errors yourself.

1. Select the Download button below.

   

2. Select your browser from the drop-down list to see how to save and then launch the troubleshooter.

   Select your browser

   

   • Select your browser
   • Edge
   • Internet Explorer
   • Chrome
   • Firefox

   1. At the bottom of the browser window, select Save.

   2. In the next box that indicates officeact.diagcab is finished downloading, select Open.

   3. The Activation Troubleshooter launches. Select Next and follow the prompts.

   1. At the bottom of the browser window, select Open to open the officeact.diagcab file.

      If the file doesn't open automatically, choose Save > Open Folder, and then double-click the file (it should start with "officeact.diagcab") to run the easy fix tool.

   2. The Activation Troubleshooter launches. Select Next and follow the prompts.

   1. In the lower-lower left corner select the officeact.diagcab file and from the drop down, select Show in folder.

      Double-click the download, officeact.diagcab to run the easy fix tool.

   2. The Activation Troubleshooter launches. Select Next and follow the prompts.

   1. Select Save File, and then OK.

      In the upper-right browser window, select Show all downloads. In the Library, select Downloads > officeact.diagcab, and then select the folder icon. Double-click the officeact.diagcab.

   2. The Activation Troubleshooter launches. Select Next and follow the prompts.

Still need help? Contact support

Office still won't activate? Contact support