The Activation Wizard helps you complete the activation process for Office 2016 and earlier versions of Office. Choose an option below to get started.
Note: If you experience problems activating Office 2021 or Office 2019, see This product is already installed on another device.
Activate over the Internet
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In the Activation Wizard, select I want to activate the software over the Internet, and then select Next. If nothing happens when you select Next, use the Enter key on your keyboard.
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Follow the prompts to complete the activation process.
If activation fails, see Troubleshoot activation errors.
Activate by telephone
If this option is disabled, it's because you're using Microsoft 365, which doesn't support telephone activation.
If you see the message Telephone activation is no longer supported for your product, you can ignore this error and call the numbers for your specific country/region listed in this article.
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In the Activation Wizard, select I want to activate the software by telephone, and then select Next. If nothing happens when you select Next, use the Enter key on your keyboard.
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Under Step 1 in the Activation Wizard, select your country/region, and then call the Product Activation Center phone number that’s listed under the country/region you selected.
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When prompted by the Product Activation Center, provide the Installation ID that's shown in the Activation Wizard under Step 2.
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The Product Activation Center will provide a Confirmation ID that you enter in the Activation Wizard under Step 3.
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Select Next and follow the prompts to complete the activation process. If nothing happens when you select Next, use the Enter key on your keyboard.
If activation fails, see Troubleshoot activation errors.
Activate after reinstalling or installing Office on a different device
Office Home & Business, Office Home & Student, and Office Professional can be installed on a single computer. If you try to install and activate these versions of Office on a different computer (owned by you or someone else), or on the same computer after a hardware change, you might see an error message that says you've reached the maximum number of activations.
Note: If you own multiple one-time purchases of Office and are having trouble activating subsequent Office installs, see Change your Office product key.
If you follow the transfer terms in the Software License Terms, you can move Office to a different computer, but you must activate it by phone and then uninstall Office from the original computer.
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If you haven't installed Office on another computer yet, follow the instructions in Install Office on your PC or Mac.
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Follow the steps in Activate by telephone, described above.
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Uninstall Office from the original computer.
Read the Software License Terms to review terms on transferring Office
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Open an Office application, such as Word. (Here's how to find Office on your computer.)
Note: You can also view the Software License Terms online here: Software License Terms.
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Go to File > Account > About program name (like About Excel) > View the Microsoft Software License Terms.
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Terms for transferring ownership are located in these sections:
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For Office 2019 and Office 2016, see section 3. Transfer to a Third Party.
Troubleshoot activation errors
If activation fails, see Unlicensed Product and activation errors in Office for help with troubleshooting common activation failures.
Contact support
If you still can't activate Office, you can contact Microsoft support.
