If you purchased a boxed version of Office, you get a product key with it. Or you may receive your product key in an email if you bought your Office 365 from an online store. This video shows step by step instructions on how to use your product key to start or renew your subscription.
Your Microsoft account takes the place of your Office product key for many tasks, such as activating Office and reinstalling Office.
Common questions about Office product keys
Check the sections below to find out if you need an Office product key and what to do with your key if you have one.
You just bought Office
You're using Office
View your product key
Get help with your product key
I just bought Office. Where do I enter my product key?
If you bought a new, never used product key
If you have a new, never used product key, go to www.office.com/setup and follow the on-screen prompts.
If you bought Office through the Microsoft Store
If you bought Office through the Microsoft Store, you can enter your product key there.
Go to www.microsoftstore.com. In the upper right-hand corner, select Sign in and enter the user ID and password you used to buy Office.
After you sign in, select your name in the upper right-hand corner, and then select Order History.
Locate the Office one-time purchase or individual Office app, and then select Install Office to view your product key (this doesn't actually install Office).
Select Install Office again in the window where the product key appears.
On the Hi. Let's get your Office page, follow the prompts to associate your product key with your Microsoft account and start the installation process.
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If you bought Office through Microsoft HUP
When you install Office Professional Plus, Visio Professional, or Project Professional through your employer's Microsoft HUP benefit, you enter your product key after you install your product.
Start any Office app, such as Word, Visio, or Project, depending on your purchase.
In the Sign in to set up Office screen, select I don't want to sign in or create an account (it's a small link at the bottom of the window).
Enter your Microsoft HUP product key to activate Office.
For help, see Get help installing Office through Microsoft HUP
My new Windows 10 PC came with Office but I can't find a product key
If you see a Let's get started screen with options to try, buy, or activate Office, this means that Office is installed on your new PC as a 1-month trial of Office 365 Home. You won't receive a product key from your PC manufacturer unless you paid for an Office product key card. Instead, you can start a trial of Office 365 Home, or buy Office.
If you paid for an Office product to be included on your new Windows 10 PC, a digital product key is transmitted to your PC when you activate Windows 10. You won't receive a printed product key. Instead, you'll see a message similar to the following when you start Word (or any Office app).
I bought a product key card but there's no key on it
If you bought an Office product key card, you might need to carefully scratch off a silver foil coating on the back of your product key card to reveal your product key. If you damage the key while scratching off the foil coating, see I lost or damaged my product key.
Tip: A product key card might also contain bar codes and other groups of letters and numbers, but the product key will always be shown in the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.
Office is prompting me for a product key
Use your Microsoft account, not your product key, to install and activate Office and individually purchased Office apps, such as Project, Visio, Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Sign in to install Office
Bookmark the site below so you always know where to go to install Office.
Sign in to activate Office
If an Office app prompts you to activate, sign in with your Microsoft account instead of a product key.
Use the right Microsoft account
Make sure you sign in with the Microsoft account that you used to buy Office.
Note: If you bought a new, unused Office 365 product key card to renew an Office 365 subscription or to buy your trial, you can enter that product key if Office prompts you for it. You can also enter the product key at www.office.com/setup.
There are a few exceptions where you'll need to do something other than sign in.
If you bought Office Professional Plus, Visio Professional, or Project Professional through your employer's Microsoft HUP benefit, you'll need your product key to install Office on a PC. To locate your product key online, see Get your HUP product key.
If you're using a volume license version of Office Professional Plus at work, you'll need to contact your admin for a product key.
If you see a yellow or red banner in an Office app that says SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRED, you must renew your Office 365 subscription to keep using Office. For help, see Renew Office 365 for home.
If Office came pre-installed on your new device, and you see a yellow or red banner in an Office app that says PRODUCT NOTICE Most of the features of <app> have been disabled because it hasn't been activated, you must start a new Office 365 Home trial, sign in with a Microsoft account that's associated with Office, or buy Office. For help, see Activate Office.
If you bought Office Professional Plus online, see Can I buy a product key? or, if your product key isn't working, see My Office product key isn't working.
Do I need a product key to reinstall Office?
No, you don't. Just go to the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page and sign in using the Microsoft account that you used to buy Office. We can help if you forgot your Microsoft account or password.
Note: You need a product key to reinstall Office Professional Plus, Visio Professional, or Project Professional through Microsoft HUP. For help, see Get help installing Office through Microsoft HUP.
Can I change my product key?
Yes, you can change the product key for Office Home & Business, Office Home & Student, Office Professional, and individually purchased Office apps. To learn how, see Change your Office product key
You can also switch your Office license if you buy a different version of Office. For example, if you have Office Home & Business and decide to subscribe to Office 365, you can switch your existing install from Office Home & Business to Office 365. To learn how, see Switch your Office license.
Can I view my product key in Office?
No, you can't. For security reasons, the full product key isn't displayed within Office.
Instead, for Office 365, Office 2019, and Office 2016, you can view the Microsoft account that Office belongs to. This account takes the place of your product key and can be used to reinstall Office from the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page and to activate Office.
To view the Microsoft account that Office belongs to, open a document in Word (or any Office app) and go to File > Account. Look for the email address after Belongs to below the product name.
Can I view my product key online?
If you bought Office 365 or Office Home & Student
Your product key isn't displayed online. If Office is prompting you for a product key, you can sign in using the Microsoft account that you used to buy and download Office.
If you bought Office Home & Business, Office Professional, and individual Office apps
Product keys for one-time purchases of Office Home & Business, Office Professional, and individual Office apps are available at the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page. However, you don't need a product key to reinstall or activate these products. If these products are prompting you for a product key, you can sign in using the Microsoft account that you used to buy and download Office.
If you still want to view your product key, here's how:
Go to the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page and sign in, if prompted.
Select View product key. Note that this product key won't match the product key shown on an Office product key card or in the Microsoft Store for the same purchase. This is normal.
If you bought Office through Microsoft HUP
If you bought Office Professional Plus, Visio Professional, or Project Professional through your employer's Microsoft HUP benefit, you can also view your product key online on your Order Details page. For help, see Get your HUP product key.
Can I view my key in the Microsoft Store?
If you bought Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, Office Professional, or individual Office apps from the Microsoft Store and you haven't installed them yet, you can also view their product keys and install them from the Microsoft Store.
Here's how to view your product key in the Microsoft Store:
Go to www.microsoftstore.com. In the upper right-hand corner, select Sign in and enter the user ID and password you used to buy Office.
After you sign in, select your name in the upper right-hand corner, and then select Order History.
Locate the Office one-time purchase or individual Office app, and then select Install Office to view your product key (this doesn't actually install Office). Note that this product key won't match the product key shown in the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page. This is normal.
My product keys don't match
This is normal. The Office product key shown on the Microsoft account, Services & subscriptions page will always be different than the product key that's shown on a product key card or email receipt. They are two different types of keys, even though they use the same format.
Can I buy a product key?
It depends on what you're trying to do.
To buy a brand new copy of Office, or start a new Office 365 subscription, you can buy an Office product key card from a retailer. You can redeem your key at www.office.com/setup to set up your Microsoft account and install Office. You can also buy a digital download directly from the Microsoft Store at www.microsoftstore.com. You'll receive a product key if you buy a one-time purchase Office or individual Office apps, but you won't need or receive a product key for Office 365.
To renew your Office 365 subscription, you can buy an Office 365 product key card from a retailer and redeem the key at www.office.com/setup. You can also renew your subscription online, without a product key, at www.office.com/renew.
If Office is prompting you for a product key, and you want to buy a product key to activate Office, it's better to uninstall your current version of Office and then buy and install a new version of Office from the Microsoft Store. This way you can be sure that Office will activate successfully.
Click Buy Office below to compare prices and options and to make your purchase.
If you're shopping for Office product keys elsewhere, we recommend that you review our tips for safer shopping to make sure you're buying genuine Microsoft software. Be sure to read the tip called Beware of Product Keys Sold Separately if you want to buy a product key online. If you buy a product key online and it doesn't work or stops working, see My Office product key isn't working.
I lost or damaged my product key
If you damaged your product key, but have a valid proof of purchase, Microsoft support may be able to replace your product key or provide other options. Contact Microsoft support for assistance.
If you believe the product key has been lost, stolen, or misplaced and you simply would like to buy a newer version of Office, you can click Buy Office below to compare prices and options and to make your purchase.
If you're shopping for Office elsewhere, we recommend that you review our tips for safer shopping to make sure you're buying genuine Microsoft software. Be sure to read the tip called Beware of Product Keys Sold Separately if you want to buy a product key online.
My Office product key isn't working
If you see an error message when you redeem your product key at Office.com/setup, see Get help with product key errors on Office.com/setup.
If your Office product key doesn’t work, or has stopped working, you should contact the seller and request a refund. If you bought a product key separate from the software, it’s very possible the product key was stolen or otherwise fraudulently obtained, and subsequently blocked for use. Unfortunately, there are many dishonest sellers who offer stolen, abused, or otherwise unauthorized Microsoft product keys for sale. Sometimes these product keys are printed on counterfeit labels or cards with a download link to Microsoft software, and sometimes they’re distributed with software media that is unauthorized for resale, such as promotional media, original equipment manufacturer reinstallation media, or other Microsoft program-specific media.
Contact support about my product key
If you’ve followed the guidance in this article and still need help, visit our Microsoft support page for assistance.
Microsoft Office 2016 and 2013, like all versions of Office and most other programs you pay for, requires that you enter a unique product key during the installation process, proving, to a point, that you own the software.
So what do you do if you need to reinstall the program but you've lost this important, 25-digit installation code? You've probably already tried all the expected 'looking around' but there are a few more things you can try that you may not have known about.
If you're familiar with product keys and how they work, you might assume that the Office 2016/2013 product key is stored, encrypted, in the Windows Registry, like older versions of Office and most other programs do.
Unfortunately, Microsoft changed how they handled Microsoft Office product keys beginning with Office 2013, storing only part of the product key on your local computer. This means that those product key finder programs aren't quite as helpful as they used to be.
The following should work if you're just looking for the product key for one member of an Office 2016 and 2013 suite, like Word or Excel, as well as if you're after the key for an entire suite, like Office Home & Student, Office Home & Business, or Office Professional in 2016 or 2013 versions.
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Here are the three best ways to go about digging up a lost MS Office 2016/2013 product key:
Find Your Office 2016/2013 Key in Your Documentation or Email
If you purchased Microsoft Office 2016 or 2013 in a box with a disc, or as a product card (digital download) from a retail store, then your product key will be with that physical purchase—on the product card, on a sticker, on or in the manual, or on the disc sleeve.
If you purchased one of these versions of Office from Microsoft online, your product key is stored in your Microsoft account online (more on that below) and/or arrived in your email receipt.
If Office 2016 or 2013 came preinstalled on your computer when you purchased it, your product key should be printed on the holographic sticker attached to your computer. Be sure you use the Office 2016/2013 product key and not the Windows product key that's probably also on that sticker.
My guess is that you've looked those places already before finding yourself on this page. However, there's one thing that might help you out, especially if you bought Office online:
While I mentioned already that product key finder tools won't find your Office 2013 product key, some will locate the last five digits, the only thing stored on your computer, which can be helpful in your search.
Here's how to do it:
Download Belarc Advisor. This is one of the better system information programs out there and also doubles as a product key finder.
Install Belarc Advisor and run it. It takes a few minutes to dig up all of your computer's information, including that last part of your Office 2016 or 2013 product key.
From the Belarc Advisor Computer Profile browser window that opens, tap or click the Software Licenses link in the left margin.
Look for the Microsoft Office 2016 or Microsoft Office 2013 mention in the list.
Belarc Advisor lists the exact suite or program name here, so if you just have Word 2016, look for Microsoft - Office Word 2016. If you have a full-blown suite, look for Microsoft - Office Professional Plus 2013. You get the idea.
What you'll see is a series of numbers, followed by (Key: ends with AB1CD). Those five characters, whatever they may be, are the final five characters of your valid Office 2016 or Office 2013 product key.
The characters prior to that sentence are not your product key. Belarc Advisor isn't capable of finding the entire Office product key for these versions because it does not exist on your computer, unlike with previous versions of Office.
Now that you have the final part of your MS Office key, you can search your email and computer for that string of characters, hopefully surfacing any digital documentation you still have on your purchase.
Obviously, that trick isn't helpful if you don't have a digital paper trail of your Office purchase, but it's worth the trouble if you might.
View Your Office 2016 or 2013 Key on Your Office Account Page
If you previously registered and activated your copy of Microsoft Office 2016 or 2013, you'll be happy to know that Microsoft has stored for you, and will show you, your original product key.
Here's what you need to do to view it:
Sign in to your Microsoft Office Account page.
Tap or click the Install from a disc.
Depending on how you bought the software, and if you've installed Microsoft Office already, you may not need to know or enter your product key at all. Just tap or click the Install button instead and follow the instructions given.
On the page that loads next, tap or click I have a disc, followed by View your product key.
If that works, record your Office 2016/2013 product key and keep it somewhere safe. No need to repeat all of this again next time you need it!
Contact Microsoft for a Replacement Office 2013 Product Key
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Another option, that you may or may not have the most luck with, is to contact Microsoft directly to ask for a replacement key.
Microsoft obviously isn't going to just trust that you bought MS Office and read you a valid product key over the phone. You'll need to find whatever proof of purchase you can find and have it ready before calling.
You can find the best number to call on the Microsoft Support: Contact Us page.
I recommend that you read through our How to Talk to Tech Support guide before calling. As straightforward as calling about a replacement key might sound, I know from experience on both sides that tech support of any kind can be tricky for everyone involved.
Office 365 & MS Office 2016 & 2013 Product Keys
If you have a copy of MS Office 2016 or 2013 installed on your computer that you installed via your Office 365 subscription, you don't need to worry about product keys at all!
Office 365 Serial Key Download
Just sign in to your Office 365 account online and follow the menu prompts to download and install the latest version of Microsoft Office 2016.
If you don't know your Microsoft account password, you can reset it fairly easily.
Tips & More Information
Office 365 Business Serial Key
While it may be extremely tempting to use a free Office product key you might find in some list on the internet, or to download and use a key generator program that supports Office 2013, either way is illegal.
Unfortunately, if none of the options I've already mentioned work out, you're left with buying a new copy of Office.
Please know that key finder tools work very well with versions of Office prior to Office 2013.
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See our tutorials on finding Office 2010 & 2007 product keys, as well as a separate, more applicable, tutorial on finding keys for older versions of Microsoft Office.