Official message
Microsoft original
Office activation failed with error 0x8004FC12.What this means
Office failed while trying to finish online activation. This is often a restricted network, an unusual proxy setting, or an account that does not match the license.
Common causes
- The network or a proxy blocked the activation request.
- The signed-in account does not match the license.
- The system time is wrong.
Do this first
In File › Account, check that the signed-in account is the one that bought Office.
What to do next
- 1Reset the activation state by following the published document, then sign in again.
- 2Check the network and proxy settings.
Continue diagnosis from this code
Take what you know into the Office activation diagnosis. It will ask a few more questions to narrow this down.
Sources
Related articles
About this data
The meaning and the original message come from the documents listed above. The same error code can have more than one cause. This site gives an order of checks. It does not decide your exact situation from the code alone.