Don't remember email address used to activate Microsoft Office

Anonymous
2013-11-19T04:12:13+00:00

Hi,

After I installed the new Windows 8.1 update, my Microsoft Office 365 had to be reinstalled.  I reinstalled Office, which then asked that I activate it.  I had my product key, which I entered when prompted and got the green check to move on to the next step.  The next step was to enter the email address that Office was activated with.  I don't remember activating Office with an email address OR I don't remember what the email address was.

How can I retrieve the email address so that I can complete activation?

Side note:  I think it's absolutely absurd that requesting your email address or username for any Microsoft product is so difficult.  I have read several forums with people having the same issue and wanting one simple thing - their username/email address that is linked to the product that they paid for.  Microsoft needs to find a way for their customers to have a way to get this information without having to post in a forum.

Thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2016-12-07T16:13:47+00:00

I think poor Girish has been beaten up enough.  If you carefully read his post and follow the link, http://commerce.microsoft.com/help , it does indeed take you to a very helpful site to resolve your issue, at least in 2016.

What you need to know:

  1. If you don't have an MS account created, create one.
  2. Save this account information (user name and password) so you don't have to go through this misery again.
  3. The email address you use doesn't have to be a Microsoft email address, feel free to use your standard address.
  4. If it was a retail purchase, know where you bought it and from what country.

What I found;

  1. Once on the help site
  2. Click on Manage Subscription
  3. Click on Manage My Microsoft Subscriptions
  4. Click on Contact Support
  5. On the Contact page, click Get Started
  6. Restate your problem, you'll get a bunch of stuff that's not useful.  In the chat box, scroll down and click on Talk to Someone.
  7. Surprisingly, you'll not have to restate your issue, just confirm that their understand is correct and proceed with the chat.

Just be prepared to answer what they ask and you should be good to go.

Worked for me,

Good luck

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-04-28T14:22:36+00:00

    I must agree with groovy_person that some MS helpdesk staff is lackig the will to help people that call in. I mean everything is solvable - if there is a will.

    I personally was also in charge to solve the issue when one of my customers forgot the name of the account (email address she created just for activation purposes) to activate Office 2013. She rememberd only part of it - her surname. She activated the product but didn't install it imediately. Then I was asked to install it and got into the trouble.

    So I called to MS helpdesk in Czech Republic but the only thing I got was the lady "on the other end of wire" found out the product was really activated under the account mentioned above and that she cannot help me any further, she cannot tell me the name of the account - because of privacy of course. It sounded rationally so I gave up.

    Because I needed a quick solution, I downloaded and installed Libre Office which was absolutely good for what she did. Furthemore I decided to rethink whether I will go the same way (Libre Office instead of MS Office) with her other colleagues. The true is only a few people in that firm needs things like VBA or so.

    But after a week I looked at the box of that Office that was locked for my user which still lay on my desk. I called to MS again and got to talk to different person now. She also tried to bump me off but I was more pushing this time argumenting by that I paid for their product after all so why I am forced to discard it just because one of my users is so dumb not to note just created username.

    Then we settled on that I will send her activation key, purchasing bill, and picture of product label on the box. Then they asked me in reply to create another account on MS website. Then unregistered the product from the old, unknown account and registered it with the one I created on my own. Problem solved!

    Radek

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-03-03T14:41:35+00:00

    I am so

    disappointed with Microsoft & the rubbish service they've given me regarding this very plausible issue.

    I started installing MS Office H & B 2013 for a colleague at 8.50am this morning, only to find that the previous IT Manager (who we have no contact details for nor the password for the account he used to activate Office) had not used a business account, so I have no access to the email address he used. It is now 14.35, so I've spent around 5.5 hours today trying to simply install a product provided by one of the richest companies on the planet.

    Their answer after 5 hours of banging my head against their unhelpful wall go and buy another product as you cannot use this one! Also two of the 4 people I spoke to were rude and very unprofessional, I have worked with MS products for around 17 years now I'm also a MS Certified pro etc, but I must admit after the way I was treated today by Microsoft today and due to the lack of contingency planning in such events I am seriously considering other options e.g. Apple or Linux.

    All they had to do to simply avoid such a silly frustrating scenario was provide a link for us to download the product required then we provide the PK.

    ANOTHER very UNHAPPY & disappointed 

    Microsoft user.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-12-19T19:47:52+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community.

    I am sorry to know that you are facing issues with the installation and activation of Office 2013. Unlike the older versions of Office, the Office 365 and Office 2013 version is installed after being associated with a Microsoft Account. Association with a Microsoft Account is the first and most essential step before Office 2013 is installed.

    Since you do not know the email address that was associated with the account, in order to resolve this issue I suggest you to contact the Microsoft Commerce as they would be able to assist in this matter. You can contact Microsoft Commerce by referring to the following link:

    http://commerce.microsoft.com/help

    In the help page, under Getting help click on Contact Customer Support. Select a Product, Problem type and Category. Then either click on Call Me or Start Chatfor more help on this issue.

    Hope this information helps you. Please let us know if you need additional information.

    Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-12-16T20:14:33+00:00

    microsoft needs a better way! this is absurd as i have the same issue as groovy_person. I bought and paid for this and no reasonable help from microsoft!

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