Q&A for How to Activate Microsoft Office on PC or Mac

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Is my Office already activated if I'm using a Windows 7 device and my school email without being prompted to sign in?

Ammar D

Community Answer

If your school provides Office, it is likely already activated. The lack of a sign-in prompt may be because it detects your school email.

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What should I do if Microsoft Office won't load on my Mac?

Redacto dev

Community Answer

If Microsoft Office won’t load on your Mac, try restarting your computer, checking for updates in the App Store, force quitting and reopening the app, or repairing and reinstalling Office. Ensure your macOS version is compatible with your Office version. If problems continue, try Safe Mode or contact Microsoft Support.

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Can I transfer Microsoft Office for Mac to a PC without buying it again?

Redacto dev

Community Answer

It depends on your Microsoft Office license type. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can sign in on your new PC and download Office without repurchasing. For a one-time purchase (Office 2021, 2019, etc.), most retail licenses allow transfer to another device, but OEM licenses (pre-installed on a Mac) do not. Check your license type by going to Word > About on your Mac or your Microsoft account under Services & subscriptions. If transferable, sign in on your PC at Microsoft Office, deactivate the Mac license, and install Office on your new PC.

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How can I link Microsoft Office apps on my laptop to my Microsoft 365 account if I get a "View Only (Unlicensed)" message?

3B 23 Harsh Pandey

Community Answer

To read and write with Microsoft Office apps and link them to your Microsoft 365 account, you need to purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.

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Question

How do I activate Office 365 on a Mac?

Minha Alex

Community Answer

To activate Office 365 on your Mac, open any Office app and select "Get Started" in the "What’s New" box. Sign in with the email associated with your subscription, enter your password, and follow the on-screen instructions. If issues arise, ensure your subscription is active, restart the app, and visit the Microsoft Support site for help.

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How can I activate Word or Excel on a new Mac running Catalina?

3B 23 Harsh Pandey

Community Answer

You can try activating Office on a Windows device first and then use the same account to log in on your Mac.

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Question

How do I get the Office product key for a newly bought laptop online?

Ammar D

Community Answer

You can obtain the Office product key by purchasing Microsoft Office from the official Microsoft website, where it will be available under the Microsoft 365 section.

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Question

I bought MS Office Home and Student 2016 and used it with another email address. It has been uninstalled from that email, but I still can't manage to use it from my MS account. How can I fix this?

fl yang

Community Answer

To fix your Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 issue: 1. Uninstall Office from your current computer via Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program. 2. Sign out of the incorrect Microsoft account and sign in to the correct account. 3. In the old account, go to Services & subscriptions, find Office 2016, and select "Deactivate." 4. In the correct account, go to Services & subscriptions, find Office 2016, and select "Install." 5. Open any Office app and sign in with the correct account to activate.

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Question

How do I continue the registration for Microsoft 365 Family, which a family member has shared with me?

Matteo Scarnera

Community Answer

To continue the registration for a shared Microsoft 365 Family plan, check your email for an invitation link from the family member. Click the link, sign in with your Microsoft account or create one if needed, and follow the prompts to complete the registration.

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Question

I have been using MS Office with my university's license, which is no longer valid. Do I need to uninstall and reinstall the apps when I purchase Office with my own account?

3B 23 Harsh Pandey

Community Answer

Yes, you need to uninstall and then reinstall the apps to activate them with your new account.

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Question

The lead-in to this article says it is for Windows and Mac. Does Method 1 above work for a Mac? There is no Windows button on a Mac.

Community Answer

Method 1 will also work for Mac. Replace clicking the Windows button in Step 1, with how you normally start MS Office from "Finder" or "LaunchPad".

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Question

What should I do if I lost the product key for Microsoft Office?

3B 23 Harsh Pandey

Community Answer

If you lost your product key, contact Microsoft support through the help section to obtain a new one.

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Question

Do I need to activate Microsoft 365 Family after using the Product Key?

Ammar D

Community Answer

After using the Product Key, you need to continue the activation process on office.com/activate.

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Question

How do I add another computer to Office 365?

Holly Hort

Community Answer

To add another computer to Office 365, sign in with your account on the new computer, visit Office.com/setup, and follow the prompts to install Office apps.

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Question

Why does my iPad say I have no Office 365 subscription, even though I have an active one on my desktop and laptop?

Holly Hort

Community Answer

Your iPad may not be syncing correctly with your Office 365 subscription. Verify that your iPad is logged into the correct Microsoft account and check your subscription status.

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Question

How can I activate Office 365 on my Mac after installing a new hard drive?

Matteo Scarnera

Community Answer

It seems like Office 365 is not recognizing your subscription after your hard drive replacement. Try these steps: 1. Sign in with the correct Microsoft account for your subscription. 2. Check your subscription status on your Microsoft account page. 3. If you're over the device limit, deactivate the previous installation on your old drive. 4. Uninstall and reinstall Office from your account. 5. Contact Microsoft support if issues persist.

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Question

What do I do if I activated MS Office and it's telling me to do it again?

Community Answer

Try it again. If it still doesn't work, try the usual troubleshooting methods such as rebooting or re-installing the program.

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Question

i don't have key how to active the MS office?

Toasterflame

Top Answerer

Microsoft Office is a paid-for software with a license subscription-based model. In order to use Microsoft Office, you will have to pay for a license.

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Question

How can I change the activation from using my email to using a product key when activating MS Office?

Community Answer

Use Method 2 instead of Method 1 of the following wikiHow: How to Activate Microsoft Office on PC or Mac .

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