Microsoft 365 Apps: Mac

Microsoft 365 Apps for Education is now free for all active GCU students! This copy of Microsoft 365 includes products like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; essential programs for succeeding in your educational goals. Below is a video and a step-by-step walkthrough to help you locate and install the software.

NOTE Microsoft 365 does not include Microsoft Access or Microsoft Publisher for Mac computers. Mac users will not be able to open or create files associated with these programs since they are only available on Windows. There is no official alternative for Mac at this time; it is recommended to use a Windows computer if these programs are required for your courses.

Pre-Install Checklist

Check for previous versions of Microsoft 365 installed on your device. Click here for instructions on how to check if Microsoft 365 is already installed on your device.

Determine the Operating System you will be installing Microsoft 365 on. See below for Microsoft 365 Compatibility.

Be sure to have 15-30 minutes to complete the installation process.

Downloading and Installing Microsoft 365 for Mac

To begin, log in at portal.office.com/account with your GCU student email address (username@my.gcu.edu) and password.
Once logged in, you should then be directed to the My account page. Under the Office apps & devices section, click the Install Office button. If you don’t see these options, please contact GCU Technical Support so that we can check your Microsoft 365 license.

NOTE You may be asked to allow downloads on "portal.office.com", click Allow to continue with the download.
The installer will begin downloading. Click the download icon in the top right corner of your web browser. Once the download is complete, click the .pkg installer file.

NOTE If you do not see the .pkg installer file, you will find it in the downloads app on your dock or the downloads folder on your device.
After opening the installer, there are some introductory steps that are required before the installation can begin. Click Continue to move to the next step.
On the License step, click Continue to make a pop-up to appear. This pop-up is simply asking you to agree to the conditions presented, click Agree to continue.
On the Destination Select step, you will pick how you want Microsoft 365 installed on your computer. Depending on your preference, you can either select "Install for all users of this computer" or "Install on a specific disk..." After selecting your destination, click Continue.
On the Installation Type step, click Install to start your installation of Microsoft 365.

NOTE You will need administrator privileges on your computer in order to install Microsoft 365. Your administrator information is the username and password you use to unlock your computer.
Microsoft 365 should now be installing on your computer. Look at the Install time remaining to know how much longer your installation will take.

NOTE While Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business are included in the download for Microsoft 365 Apps for Education, GCU Technical Support does not provide complete support for both. For Microsoft Teams, we recommend checking out the article Microsoft 365 Tips for information. GCU does not have the license for Skype; therefore, you will not be able to log into the Skype for Business program using your GCU credentials.
When the installation is complete, you will receive a message stating that "The installation was successful." Click Close to complete the process.
You may be asked to move the installer to the Trash after you click Close. If so, you can click either Keep or Move to Trash, depending on your preference.

NOTE You may also be prompted to update Microsoft 365 by Microsoft Autoupdate after installation. Press Update if there are available updates to install.

Activating Microsoft 365 for Mac

After installing Microsoft 365, locate and open a Microsoft 365 app, such as Word, on your computer. A message about your privacy may appear before the app opens; once you accept that message, the app should open a pop-up window about starting a Microsoft 365 trial. You will need to click Already have a subscription? Sign In to activate Microsoft 365.

NOTE If you are not immediately prompted about a Microsoft 365 subscription, you may see a key icon that says Activate or a yellow banner asking for you to Sign In. Click either option to continue.
You will be prompted to sign in. Enter your GCU student email address (username@my.gcu.edu) and password.

NOTE If you are prompted to select an account type when signing in, select Work or school account.
Upon successful login, you should be all set!

As a student, you are able to install Microsoft 365 on up to 5 computers. For more information about Microsoft 365, please see the FAQ section of our Free Microsoft 365 Apps Installation article. The full versions of all Microsoft 365 programs are available for you to use as long as you are an active student with scheduled classes at GCU, even when you aren’t connected to the Internet. Once you complete your degree program or are no longer taking classes, you will not have access to the full versions.

Also, if you encounter issues activating your Microsoft 365, please refer to Activating Microsoft 365 and Switching Accounts for further guidance.

Microsoft 365 Compatibility

The system requirements of Microsoft 365 for Mac can be found here. Generally, Microsoft 365 for Mac is only supported on the three most recent versions of macOS. If you do not have macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later, you may not be able to install Microsoft 365 using the steps provided.

If you would like to upgrade your macOS, most Macs can be upgraded to macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later for free. For more information, refer to Apple’s support article to update the software on your Mac. If you are unable to install the Microsoft 365 programs due to compatibility or other issues, you can still use Microsoft 365 in your web browser. For more information about accessing Microsoft 365 online, see Microsoft Online Programs in the GCU Portal.

Microsoft 365 Troubleshooting

Your Account Does Not Allow Editing on a Mac Error

If you receive the following error:

View Only Your account (username@my.gcu.edu) does not allow editing on a Mac. To learn more, contact your admin about your Microsoft 365 plan

Then you might have recently updated your computer’s operating system and the Microsoft license does not recognize that.

To solve this issue, try signing out of your account and signing back in. Also, you may try activating your copy.

Make sure you are connected to the internet.
With Word open, click the Home icon on the upper left-hand corner.
On the pop-up window, click the Activate icon on the lower left-hand corner.
On the Activate Microsoft 365 to Create and Edit window, click the Sign in link. Afterward, enter your GCU email address (username@my.gcu.edu) and password to activate your copy.

Alternatively, you can try the following steps for Resetting Your Account Credentials:

Make sure you are connected to the internet.
With Word open, click Word from the menu bar.
Select Sign out from the drop-down menu.
Quit all open Microsoft 365 Apps.
Open the Keychain Access utility by typing in Keychain into the Spotlight search (in the upper right-hand corner) and selecting Keychain Access from the results.
Once Keychain Access is open, select the Microsoft 365 Credentials in the list of credentials, select Edit from the menu bar at the top, and then click Delete. If there are multiple credentials, make sure to remove each one.
Once the old credentials have been removed, you can open Microsoft Word and sign in with your GCU email address (username@my.gcu.edu) and password.

For some files downloaded from GCU websites, another Error you might encounter is as follows:

To start troubleshooting this, go to Word in the Menu bar and select Quit Word.

After closing word, locate the downloaded file on your MAC and open it from a Finder window. If the error persists, try the previous error’s steps for resetting your account credentials.

No Credentials Error

If you receive the following error:

No credentials
The system requires that you sign on to a valid
account. The error code is: 0xD000000C

Then you are trying to sign into Microsoft 365 Enterprise instead of Microsoft 365. Please uninstall Microsoft 365 and re-install Microsoft 365 using the steps in this article. If you have questions about uninstalling Microsoft 365, please refer to the Computer Troubleshooting article for steps to uninstall programs from your respective computer.

Removing Microsoft 365 License Files on a Mac

The license removal tool helps to remove all current Microsoft 365 licenses that are on your Mac computer. This can be helpful if your license has expired, but it won’t clear itself from your computer or allow you to add a new one. After removing the license, you can sign back in to apply a new license.

To automatically uninstall any Microsoft 365 licenses, navigate to How to remove Microsoft 365 license files on a Mac and click Download the license removal tool.
Next, open the .pkg file located in your Downloads folder.
Select Continue to follow the steps in the set-up wizard.
When completed, select Install. You will then be prompted to enter in your administrator username and password. Once completed, select Close.
You may now sign into your Microsoft 365 using any Microsoft app with your GCU email address and password.

Uninstalling Microsoft 365

If you need to uninstall Microsoft 365 from your Mac, you can do so from the Applications folder. For instructions on how to uninstall programs on a Mac, check out the Uninstalling Programs and Applications section of the Computer Troubleshooting article.

Desktop Setup

If you already have Microsoft 365 for Mac installed and select desktop setup, you will be directed to the following page:

This section does not upgrade your Microsoft 365 but installs a Microsoft 365 portal to your computer for easier access to your GCU student email. Select Set up Microsoft 365 for Mac Home and Business to work with Microsoft 365 for more information and directions.

How to install Microsoft apps from the App Store

Start by locating and opening the app store on your device.
In the top left-hand search bar, search for the Microsoft app you want to install.
Once you have located the app you want to install select the Get button and then press Install. It will then ask you to put in your computer’s password to begin the installation.
Once it is done installing, select open.
Select your initials in the top left-hand corner of the screen to view your account. When viewing your account, you want to make sure you are signed in with your GCU email address. If you are signed into your personal email, sign-out and then back in with your GCU email. If you are asked to sign in, insert your GCU email and password to get started!

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