What Does Entitlement.diagnostics.office.com Certificate Mean?
The entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error is a common issue that users encounter when trying to activate or use Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. This error prevents Office apps from connecting to the internet to verify the license and activation status.
The error message usually says something like “There are problems with the Office product key or license validation. We can’t connect right now. Please check your network and try again later along with an error code like 0x80072EFD.
This issue occurs because your system is unable to verify the SSL certificate of the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com domain, which is used by Microsoft’s activation servers. The certificate error could arise due to various reasons like an outdated system datetime, problematic firewall settings, antivirus conflicts, or a corrupted certificate store.
Fortunately, there are a few simple troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve this certificate error and get Office apps working again.
Understanding the Cause of the Error
Before fixing the issue, it’s important to understand what causes the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate validation error:
- Outdated System Date/Time: Office apps connect to Microsoft’s online servers to check the license status. If your system date and time are incorrect, it can lead to certificate validation failure.
- Firewall Blocking Access: If firewall settings are blocking access to https://entitlement.diagnostics.office.com or ocsp.msocsp.com, it can trigger certificate errors.
- Antivirus Software Conflicts: Some antispyware apps can incorrectly identify Office license validations as malicious and block access, causing the error.
- Corrupted Certificate Store: A corrupted certificate store prevents verification of the SSL certificate used for domain validation.
- Network Issues: Any network problems like using a proxy, outdated network drivers, etc. can also interfere with certificate validation checks.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix enttilement.diagnostics.office.com Certificate Errors
Here are the recommended troubleshooting steps to resolve the entitlement diagnostics Office certificate error:
1. Check Date, Time, and Time Zone
Go to Windows Date & Time settings (on Windows 10, right-click the clock in the system tray and select ‘Adjust date/time’). Ensure the date, time and time zone are set correctly for your region. Incorrect settings can lead to certificate problems.
2. Check Firewall and Antivirus Settings
Temporarily disable your firewall and antivirus software and try activating/opening Office apps. If it works, it indicates interference from firewall or antispyware app. You can then add exclusions for Office license URLs like https://*office.com and https://*.msocsp.com in firewall and antivirus.
3. Reset Winsock Catalog
Resetting the Winsock catalog helps refresh TCP/IP settings which often resolves connectivity issues caused by corrupt files. To do this, open Command Prompt as admin and run the commands:
netsh winsock reset
netsh winhttp reset proxy
Restart the system after running these commands.
4. Clear Office 365 Activation Cache
Sometimes outdated activation data gets cached and can lead to errors. To clear the cached activation data, open Command Prompt as admin and run:
cd C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\ClickToRun
OfficeC2RClient.exe /reset
Then restart Office apps to re-activate using latest license status.
5. Use Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant
The Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant is an official tool that can diagnose and fix many Office-related issues including activation errors. Download and run this tool – it will automatically detect issues and apply fixes.
6. Check Certificate Store Health
Corrupted certificate stores can also cause certificate verification issues. To check the health of your certificate store, go to Start and search for ‘Manage computer certificates’. Under the Trusted Root Certification Authorities > Certificates, check for any certificates showing error indications. You can try exporting the suspect certificates and deleting them. Then restart the system and re-import the certificates to rebuild the certificate store.
7. Create New Office Profile
If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, try creating a new user profile for Office apps. This resets any corrupted Office settings. To do this, open any Office app like Excel > File > Account > Switch Profile > Create profile. Sign in again using your Microsoft account.
8. Contact Microsoft Support
If you still see the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error, contact Microsoft Support for further troubleshooting help. They can suggest Office reinstallation, running diagnostics tools, or other solutions based on your specific error details.
Common Error Codes and Fixes of entitlement.diagnostics.office.com
Some common error codes related to the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate issue is:
- 0x80072EFD: Indicates license validation failure. Try the steps like firewall exclusion, resetting Winsock catalog, Office reset etc.
- 0x80070005: Means the system clock is incorrect. Make sure date, time and time zone are set properly.
- 0x8007000E: Suggests system clock rolled back. Again, check date/time settings.
- 0x80092004: Occurs due to proxy settings problems. Check the system proxy configuration.
- 0x80092009: Means Office is blocked by firewall. Add exclusions for Office URLs.
Conclusion
The entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error prevents Office applications from activating and validating the license online. It occurs due to problems like incorrect date/time, firewall blocks, antivirus conflicts, corrupted certificate stores etc. Following the troubleshooting steps like checking system settings, clearing Office cache, adding URL exclusions to firewall and antispyware tools can help resolve this activation error so you can use Office apps again without any problems. For recurring issues, it is best to contact Microsoft support for further analysis and fixes for your specific case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error occur?
This error occurs when Office apps are unable to verify the SSL certificate of the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com domain used for license validation by Microsoft’s activation servers.
What causes the entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error?
The most common causes are an incorrect system date/time, firewall blocks, antivirus conflicts, corrupted certificate stores, and network issues. This prevents Office apps from validating the SSL certificate for the entitlement servers.
What are some quick fixes I can try to resolve the error?
Some quick things you can try are checking the system date/time, adding exclusions for Office URLs in firewall and antivirus programs, resetting the Winsock catalog, clearing the Office activation cache, and using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool.
I keep seeing the error even after troubleshooting – what should I do?
If the error persists after trying the recommended fixes, contact Microsoft Support. They can further diagnose the problem and suggest solutions like reinstalling Office, running diagnostic tools, or fixing specific issues on your system.
Where can I find the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool?
You can download the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool from Microsoft’s website to automatically detect and fix many common Office issues. Run this tool to see if it resolves your entitlement.diagnostics.office.com certificate error.
What are some common fixes for this error?
Common fixes include checking system date/time, adding firewall exclusions for Office domains, clearing Office cache and activation data, using the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant tool, checking certificate store health, creating a new Office profile etc.
Can antivirus software cause this certificate error?
Yes, some antispyware apps can incorrectly block access to Office licensing sites leading to certificate validation failure. Adding exclusions in antivirus for Office can resolve this.
Should I reinstall Office to fix the issue?
Reinstalling Office may help in some cases, but first try the simpler troubleshooting steps like profile reset, running Office repair tool etc. Reach out to Microsoft support if the error persists.
What are some common error codes related to this issue?
Common error codes include 0x80072EFD, 0x80070005, 0x8007000E, 0x80092004 and 0x80092009. The error codes provide clues to find the specific causes like time sync errors, proxy problems etc.
