Cannot boot up fully functional apps on recently purchased successfully installed 1 time purchase of 365

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Yes, you will need to create a personal Microsoft account to use Office 365 independently of your university affiliation.

Since you have retired from the organization, your university email address and its associated license may be revoked or reassigned at any time. Continuing to use an organization-managed account after separation is not recommended, as access can be terminated without notice from their side.

I recommend canceling the Office 365 purchase made under your university account and creating a new personal Microsoft account using a private email address. Once that is done, you can repurchase Microsoft 365 Personal and link it to your new account.

Create a new Personal Outlook email account -

https://signup.live.com/

Please note that your university email address is intended only for use during active employment or enrollment. Now that you have retired, access to that account may be restricted or removed by the IT administrator at any point. Before transitioning, make sure to back up or migrate any important emails and documents to your personal account. You should also sign out of, or remove, the university account from your Windows device to avoid access issues in the future.

PII caution: Please note that this is a public forum for users. Do not post any private information here to protect your privacy and security. 

Hello lloyd burton

From what you shared, I understand that after retiring from the University, your Office apps are still opening with the old limited university version, even though you recently purchased a new personal Office/Microsoft 365 license.

In this case, the Office apps may still be picking up your old University work/school license, which is why they open in a limited mode.

For a personal Microsoft 365/Office purchase, the license needs to be tied to the Microsoft account that owns the purchase. If you bought a product key/card, redeem it with a personal Microsoft account first. If you bought it directly online, please check which account shows the subscription under Services & subscriptions, then use that same account to sign in to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

You can still use your university email account in Outlook if that mailbox is active. Outlook email access and Office app activation can be separate. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint should be signed in with the personal account that owns the new license.

Please open Word or Excel and go to File > Account. If it still shows the university account or limited license, sign out, close all Office apps, then sign back in with the personal account used for the purchase or redemption.

If it still does not activate, please let me know whether you are using Windows or Mac and which account is shown under User Information and Product Information in Word or Excel > File > Account?

Note: Please do not post your full email address or any personal details to avoid risks. Just let me know whether the account shown there is your University/work or school account, or the personal Microsoft account you used to buy or redeem the subscription.

Please let me know what happens after trying these steps, and I'll be glad to continue looking into it with you.

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Need more help

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