How to Fix Office 2021 Installer Not Opening on M1 iMac
Question details
The user is unable to open or run the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 installer on an Apple silicon Mac.
- Product
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021
- Device & OS
- macOS
- Scenario
- Attempting to install Microsoft Office on a new Apple silicon M1 iMac.
- Observed behavior
- The Office installer package (.pkg) fails to open or launch correctly from the Mac Finder, often due to an incomplete or corrupted download.
Ensure your iMac is connected to a stable internet connection to prevent interrupted downloads, and have your Mac administrator password ready, as macOS requires it to authorize new software installations.
Redownload and Run the Office Installer Package
Use this method to replace a corrupted or incomplete installation file with a fresh download directly from your Microsoft account.
When a download is interrupted on macOS, the resulting .pkg file may become corrupted, causing the installer to fail silently when you try to open it from Finder. Deleting the bad file and downloading a fresh copy is the most reliable way to resolve this issue.
Open Finder, navigate to your Downloads folder, locate the existing 'Microsoft Office installer.pkg' file, and drag it to the Trash to prevent confusion with the new file.
Open your web browser and sign in at Office.com using the Microsoft account associated with your Office Home and Student 2021 license. Click the 'Install Office' button to download the Mac installer again.
Once the download is fully complete, open Finder, navigate back to the Downloads folder, and double-click the newly downloaded 'Microsoft Office installer.pkg' file.
Follow the on-screen installation prompts, accept the Microsoft software license agreement, and enter your Mac administrator password when prompted to allow the installation.
After the installation finishes, open any Office application like Word from your Applications folder or Launchpad. Sign in with your licensed Microsoft account to activate the software.
Try WPS Office for Mac as a Lightweight Alternative
If you continue to experience installation errors with Microsoft Office on your Apple silicon Mac, WPS Office provides a seamless, fast, and free alternative. It is designed to be lightweight, avoiding bulky package downloads and complex activation errors while offering native support for Apple silicon chips.
- 1. Visit the WPS website: Go to the official WPS Office website using Safari or your preferred browser.
- 2. Download the Mac version: Click the 'Free Download' button to get the lightweight WPS Office installer specifically optimized for macOS.
- 3. Install and open: Open the downloaded DMG file, drag the WPS Office icon to your Applications folder, and launch it immediately without complex setup steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't the Microsoft Office installer open on my M1 Mac?
This typically happens because the .pkg file download was interrupted, leaving you with an incomplete or corrupted installer. It can also occur if macOS Gatekeeper blocks the file, though this is rare for official Microsoft downloads.
Do I need Rosetta 2 to install Office 2021 on an Apple silicon Mac?
No, Microsoft Office 2021 includes a universal installer that provides native support for both Intel and Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3) processors, meaning Rosetta 2 is not strictly required for the installation process.
How do I verify if my Office 2021 download is complete?
You can check the file size of the downloaded .pkg file in Finder by pressing Command + I. The official Microsoft Office suite installer for Mac is usually around 2 GB in size. If the file is significantly smaller, the download is incomplete.
