Microsoft 365 on macOS read-only issue

Problem

You encounter a “read-only mode” message upon launching any Microsoft 365 apps.

Solution

1.  Sign out and sign back in with your Douglas College account.

If the issue persists, try the following steps:

2.  Manually remove cached credentials.

• Open each installed Microsoft 365 app (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint), click the app name menu (e.g., PowerPoint) and select Sign Out. Then quit the application.
• Open Finder, click on the Go menu item and choose Go to Folder
• In the dialog box, type: ~/Library and press Enter
• Open the Group Containers folder
• Locate the following three files/folders and move them to Trash:
  • UBF8T346G9.ms
  • UBF8T346G9.Office
  • UBF8T346G9.OfficeOsfWebHost
• Empty the Trash and launch a Microsoft 365 application, sign in with your Douglas College email and check to see if you can now edit documents.

3. Remove Microsoft 365 License Files

• Fully remove the Microsoft 365 license from your macOS computer by following this Microsoft article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/office/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193. The license removal tool is located at this link

4. Uninstall Microsoft 365 Apps Completely

• Fully uninstall all Microsoft 365 apps by following this Microsoft article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/office/troubleshoot-office-for-mac-issues-by-completely-uninstalling-before-you-reinstall-ec3aa66e-6a76-451f-9d35-cba2e14e94c0