Microsoft Access tells me Word is required to do a Word Merge but I have Word.

I have a Microsoft Access database I've built which includes a query that collects information for a specific court case when I need to send an official letter. I run the query, tell the database which case I am needing the letter for, save the query and then click the External Data tab. On that tab, I select Word Merge and it opens a pop up screen that asks if I want to do this based on an existing template or new document. I select existing file and it opens a search window to locate the file I need. Once I select the file I need, it thinks for a minute and then tells me Word is required to do a Word Merge. It will not go past that step but I have Word through my Microsoft 365 account, the same way I have Access so I'm confused. It is doing this on multiple computers, some connected by a VPN and some connected by an ethernet cord straight to our internal server. Please help.