Microsoft 365 Users Hit by License Bug Blocking App Downloads; Fix Incoming

If you’re unable to download Microsoft 365 desktop apps these days, Microsoft has confirmed that a license check bug has been triggering it. Apparently, that bug is blocking downloads straight from the Microsoft 365 homepage.

The issue has been active since November 2, but Microsoft only tagged it as an official incident very recently. This tells us that the issue is much widespread than Microsoft may have actually anticipated.

According to Microsoft’s incident report (OP1192004), the issue has been triggered by a recent service update released with a code issue (via Bleeping Computer). That bug has since disrupted the license validation step in place before the Office apps download begins.

Our analysis of the components of Microsoft 365 infrastructure, as well as recently deployed changes, identified that a recent service update containing a code issue is impacting the license check process, leading to users being unable to download Microsoft 365 desktop apps from the homepage.

Without that license check process, the download never starts, which means users remain stuck at the homepage with no real explanation. Microsoft says that it has a patch ready, which it is testing in its internal environment. The company wants to make sure the fix works before pushing it out to production systems.

We’re continuing to validate and test the aforementioned fix in our internal environment to ensure its efficacy prior to deploying it to the affected infrastructure, and we expect to provide an estimated deployment timeline by our next scheduled update.

If you’re affected by this bug, the only option now is to wait until the patch is released. Once the license check issue is resolved, downloads should resume normally.