Office Activation Guide (setup.office.com)

This guide walks you through how to activate a Microsoft Office product key.

  1. Get started with Microsoft products

    Get started with microsoft products

    Go to setup.office.com, and click Get started.

  2. Microsoft sign in

    Microsoft sign in

    Sign in to your existing Microsoft account, or create a new one.
    *This needs to be a personal Microsoft account, not an organization account.

  3. Enter your product key

    Enter your product key

    Paste your 25-character product key into the box, make sure the account the product key will be added to is correct, and click next.

  4. Confirm your product key

    Confirm your product key

    Confirm the product is correct, select the language you wish to use, and click redeem.

    *There are no refunds after clicking redeem, this is due to the key being consumed and the license being permanently tied to your Microsoft account.

  5. Uninstall existing Office suites

    Before installing your new Office suite you should uninstall any old Office suites on your computer. Old Office installs are known to cause conflicts with a new installation, Office 365 in particular will attempt to override your new install.

    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.

  7. Install complete

    Office installed

    Your installation 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.