Office Activation Guide (setup.office.com)

This guide walks through how to activate, download and install Office using a product key. The product shown in the below screenshots is just an example, you will receive the product you purchased upon redemption.

  1. Sign in or create Microsoft account

    Microsoft account

    Go to setup.office.com, if you are not already signed in, sign in using your existing Microsoft account, or create one.

  2. Enter your key

    Enter product key

    On the setup.office.com page, enter your 25 character CD key (shown on your order page), select your country or region and your language, click next. 

  3. Redeem the key

    Confirm activation

    Check the product shown matches the product you purchased.

    Click next to agree to the Microsoft Services Agreement. Microsoft will immediately provide you with full access to your software after you complete this redemption. There are no refunds past this point due to the key being permanently linked to your Microsoft account.

  4. Download

    Download microsoft office

    Click the download now button to download the software.

  5. Uninstall existing Office suites

    Before installing your new Office suite you should fully uninstall any old Office suites on your computer. Old Office suites are known to cause conflicts with a new installation, so it is best to remove them at this stage.

    Links to the Microsoft uninstall guides for Windows PC and Mac:
    Uninstall Office on Windows PC
    Uninstall Office on Mac

  6. Install Office

    Installing office

    Double click on the Office installer that was downloaded to your computer (most likely in your downloads folder) and follow the on-screen instructions.

    If you get an error message saying “Sorry it looks like you’re on a slow connection…”, Office is taking a really long time to install, or it appears to hang during the install, you may want to cancel the installation and then try some of the following solutions.

  7. Install complete

    Office installed

    Your install is complete when you see the message “You’re all set! Office is installed now”.

  8. Activation wizard

    Office activation wizard

    This only applies to Office 2016 Suites or older.

    Upon opening an Office App for the first time you will be asked to activate your product with the Office Activation Wizard.

    Select “I want to activate the software over the Internet”, and then select next. Follow the prompts to complete the activation.

    If the internet activation fails, try the “I want to activate the software by telephone” and then select next. Follow the prompts to complete the activation.