Maybe sharing a computer temporarily but don’t want that person to access your recent documents list etc? That’s still possible by signing out of the program but leaving the software running. There are situations where it might be useful to use Office apps without a sign-in. Does it matter?įor the vast majority, this change won’t matter because they use Word, Excel etc with a sign-in. Most features are disabled except viewing and printing but no editing. “PRODUCT NOTICE Most of the features of Word have been disabled because it hasn’t been activated” with an Activate button. Close that dialog and more appropriate ‘Sign in to set up Office’ options appear. That’s a strange first prompt because most people just need to sign in to their Microsoft account. When you start a Microsoft 365 program after signing out, you’re first presented with a Product Key prompt. In other words, the licence check is only done when the program is started or at sign-in. Same applies if you try opening another Office program after signing out. Only when you close down the Office/Microsoft 365 software that it becomes disabled. OneDrive sync on Windows or Mac should still work after you’ve signed out from Word, Excel etc. However the sign-in for OneDrive sync is separate from the Microsoft 365/Office program sign-in. It is a good idea to save all cloud-stored documents before signing out. The OneDrive app login is separate from the Office/Microsoft 365 login. However, it’s possible to work with documents synced to the local computer.

Most obviously, direct OneDrive access isn’t available. Some cloud-based features only work with a Microsoft account login. Microsoft’s warning message, see above, says “To complete the process, close all Office apps.” But if you keep the programs open after sign out they’ll still work.

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