Move Microsoft Office to a New Mac: Full Guide

Moving Microsoft Office to a new Mac means transferring your apps, licenses, and personal settings so you can keep working without reinstalling everything from scratch or losing your custom dictionaries, signatures, and recent file lists. This guide covers the two main paths: using Microsoft’s built-in account sync for Office 365 subscribers, and manually copying settings for one-time license holders. You’ll need your new Mac, your old Mac (or a Time Machine backup), and your Microsoft account credentials.

What You’ll Need

• Your old Mac and your new Mac, both powered on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network (for direct transfer)
• Your Microsoft account email and password (the one tied to your Office license)
• An external drive or cloud storage if you’re not using Migration Assistant
• Your Office product key if you have a one-time purchase (not a subscription)
• Enough free space on the new Mac for the Office apps (about 10 GB for the full suite)

Step-by-Step

1. Check your license type. Open any Office app on your old Mac (Word, Excel, etc.), go to the app menu (e.g., Word > About Word), and look for “Subscription” or “Product Key.” If it says Microsoft 365, you have a subscription tied to your account. If it shows a product key, you have a one-time license.
2. Deactivate Office on the old Mac (optional but recommended). For Microsoft 365 subscriptions, sign out of all Office apps on the old Mac. In any Office app, click your name/avatar in the top-right corner, choose “Sign Out,” and confirm. This frees up one of your allowed installs. For one-time licenses, you don’t need to deactivate, but you should note your product key (see step 8).
3. Back up your Office settings. Your custom dictionaries, autocorrect entries, signatures, and templates live in specific folders. On the old Mac, open Finder, press Cmd+Shift+G, and go to ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/. Copy this entire folder to an external drive or cloud storage. Also copy ~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.* files (any file starting with com.microsoft) to the same backup location.
4. Transfer your files to the new Mac. If you’re using Migration Assistant (recommended for a full transfer), connect both Macs to the same network, open Migration Assistant on the new Mac (in Applications > Utilities), choose “From a Mac,” and follow the prompts. Select “Applications” and “Settings” when asked what to transfer. If you prefer a manual transfer, copy your Office backup folder and preferences to the new Mac using an external drive, AirDrop, or cloud storage.
5. Install Microsoft Office on the new Mac. If Migration Assistant didn’t bring the apps over (or you’re doing a manual transfer), go to the Mac App Store and search for “Microsoft 365” (the suite app) or visit the official Microsoft website and download the installer. You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account during installation.
6. Sign in to Office on the new Mac. Open Word (or any Office app), click “Sign In” in the top-right corner, enter your Microsoft account email and password, and follow the prompts. For Microsoft 365 subscriptions, this activates your license automatically. For one-time purchases, you’ll be prompted to enter your product key.
7. Restore your settings. If you backed up the Group Containers folder and preferences in step 3, copy them back to the same locations on the new Mac. Replace any existing files when prompted. Restart all Office apps afterward so the settings take effect.
8. Verify everything works. Open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Check that your signature, autocorrect, and custom dictionaries are present. Open a few documents to confirm they load correctly. If you use OneDrive, sign in and confirm your cloud files sync.
9. Clean up the old Mac (optional). Once you’ve confirmed everything works on the new Mac, you can uninstall Office from the old Mac to free up space and free your license slot. Use the official Microsoft uninstaller or drag the Office apps from the Applications folder to the Trash, then delete the ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office folder.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to sign out on the old Mac. Microsoft 365 allows a limited number of active installs (typically five). If you don’t sign out, you may hit the limit and be unable to activate on the new Mac.
• Only copying the apps, not the settings. The Office apps themselves are easy to reinstall, but your custom dictionaries, signatures, and templates are hidden in Library folders. Skipping step 3 means losing them.
• Using the wrong license type. Trying to activate a one-time purchase with a Microsoft account (or vice versa) will fail. Check your license type first.
• Not updating Office after transfer. Your old Mac might have an older version. After installing on the new Mac, go to the Mac App Store > Updates or use Microsoft AutoUpdate (in the app menu) to get the latest version.
• Copying preferences from a much older macOS. If your old Mac runs an older macOS, some preference files may be incompatible. If settings don’t load, delete the copied preferences and reconfigure manually.

Tips

• Use Migration Assistant for the whole Mac. It transfers not just Office but all your apps, documents, and user settings in one pass. It’s the most reliable method.
• Turn on iCloud or OneDrive sync for Office settings. In newer versions of Office for Mac, some settings (like your Office theme and recent files) sync through your Microsoft account automatically. Sign in on both Macs and let it sync.
• Keep your product key somewhere safe. If you have a one-time license, write down the product key and store it in a password manager. You’ll need it for reinstallation.
• Do the transfer during a quiet time. Signing out and in may interrupt active work. Plan for 30-60 minutes of downtime.
• Check for updates before you start. On the old Mac, run Microsoft AutoUpdate to ensure you’re on the latest version. This reduces compatibility issues during transfer.

Troubleshooting

• “We can’t find your license” error after signing in. This usually means you’re signed in with a different Microsoft account than the one tied to your Office license. Sign out and sign in with the correct account. If you’re sure it’s correct, go to account.microsoft.com, check your services, and confirm Office is listed.
• Office apps won’t launch after transfer. First, restart the Mac. If that doesn’t help, delete the Office apps from Applications, reinstall from the Mac App Store or Microsoft’s site, and sign in again. This often fixes corrupted app bundles.
• Settings didn’t come back. The Group Containers folder may have been copied to the wrong location. Re-check that you placed it at ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office (the tilde means your home folder). If it’s still missing, you may have to reconfigure signatures and autocorrect manually.
• Outlook asks for a password repeatedly. This is usually an account authentication issue. Go to System Settings > Internet Accounts, remove your email account, and add it again. Then open Outlook and sign in fresh.
• “This product is already in use” message. Your old Mac still has Office active. Go back to the old Mac, open any Office app, sign out, and wait a few minutes before trying again on the new Mac.
• Office is slow on the new Mac. Ensure your new Mac meets the minimum system requirements (check Microsoft’s official specs). Also, run Microsoft AutoUpdate to install any performance fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move Office without Migration Assistant? Yes. Install Office from the Mac App Store or Microsoft’s website, sign in with your account, and manually copy your settings folder as described in step 3 and 7.

Do I need to buy Office again for my new Mac? No. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, it’s tied to your account, not your computer. Just sign in on the new Mac. If you have a one-time license, you can transfer it to the new Mac as long as it’s not installed on more than one Mac at a time.

Will my OneDrive files move automatically? OneDrive files are stored in the cloud, so they’ll be available once you sign in to OneDrive on the new Mac. If you had files only stored locally on your old Mac, you need to move those separately.

What about my Outlook emails and contacts? If you use Exchange, Microsoft 365, or IMAP, your emails and contacts are on the server and will sync automatically. If you use POP3, your emails are stored locally on your old Mac — you’ll need to export them (File > Export) and import them on the new Mac.

How do I find my product key if I lost it? If you bought Office from Microsoft’s website, check your email receipt or your account at account.microsoft.com. If you bought it from a retailer, check the card or box it came in. Microsoft support can help if you have proof of purchase.

Can I use Office on both Macs at the same time? With a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can install Office on multiple devices (typically up to five), but you can only be signed in and actively using it on a limited number at once. For one-time licenses, you can only have it on one Mac at a time — you must uninstall it from the old Mac to activate it on the new one.

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