Install Office 2016 OEM without Live account

Anonymous
2015-10-07T18:12:57+00:00

I manage IT services for several small businesses and periodically need to purchase new computers with Office. I just purchased a new Dell laptop with the OEM version of Office 2016 Home & Business. It will not let me activate it without adding it to a MS account.

I know this is a perennial question, beginning with Office 2013, that is a major headache for independent technical consultants that support small businesses, as I do. But I have never seen a solid answer as to how to get this installed on the computer without the MS account--just a lot of try this, try that. This is NOT Office 365, just Office H & B 2016!

 I will not:

  • Add it to my MS account, or it will be forever stuck to me--which is inappropriate, since I will not own the computer or software once I am paid for the system by my client.
  • Make my client set up a MS account just for this.
  • Pry into my client's information to get his MS account information (if he even has one).

But I must have Office installed, activated, and updated before I give the system to my client. The activation dialog, in fact, gives me the option of using a product key instead of a login, but then proceeds to "Redeem Online"--which I believe will end up with the same result that requires a MS account.

At this point, I now have a bigger issue. I backed up the Program Data folder that contains the cached Office installation files, then uninstalled MS Office, hoping that a reinstall would give me some option to truly install without being forced to figure out a MS account for my client. The uninstallation removed the original setup folders. Good thing I backed it up, but then when I reinstall from any of those, it installs Office 2013, not Office 2016. And while it still validates the key when I click the option to use a key instead of a logon, it (as before) takes me to "Redeem Online".

Hello, Microsoft: this issue alone has just eliminated my entire profit from this project, given the time I have already spent trying to get this done, then uninstalling and attempting to reinstall.

I know there are versions that can be activated without a MS account, but I do not buy in bulk and can never seem to figure out which is which.

How do I get this installed for my client without being required to use a MS account?

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-03-27T16:08:54+00:00

    Totally agree. Due to before mentioned issues... I've solved the issue definitely in 7 easy steps. 

    1st - remove all 81 MS Office products from desktops in org. 

    2nd - install Libre Office for everyone. 

    3rd - cease purchases in MS for 3 years.

    4th - install 3 remote terminals with MS Office in case any user couldn't do their tasks in Libre Office. 

    5th - asap sell 78 keys to some looser-addict org like yours that can't live without MS.

    6th - cash my check. 

    7th - donate 10% to Libre Office org.

    So simple. Don't be an addict, you won't need to cry here then. Have a nice day!

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-07-11T02:20:13+00:00

    I agree that the need to activate Office 2016 and attach to a user email account make no sense and create huge frustration and problem for many administrators.

    The implementation with the need tag a device-base license with an user email account as if it is also user-base license is flawed to begin with. 

    And using a common email account to activate up to 30 licenses have challenges in itself, because when you are given the option to select which license to activate, there is NO way to tell which license has already been activated. I have a solution here: 

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-fix-microsoft-office-2016-activation-problem-boonhong-wong

    However, the best workaround I have found is this:

    Create an alias email account for every license, using your device serial number. For example, if my laptop SN is sf-123456b, I will create an alias email account ******@company.com and link it to my ******@company.com. When activating, it won't even ask you to select which license key at all.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-07-10T11:53:53+00:00

    To address the last 3 replies - Office 365 is not an option... my company refuses to use a subscription based service.  I have actually tried to push them toward that but until it is the only option they wish to purchase the software outright for each machine.

    @Rohn007 - We are a business (as previously stated) and we purchase between 15 and 30 or so licenses per year.  Buying the minimum of 5 to begin with is no big deal as we will always need more than that.  Additionally I already mentioned that you can use the Office Deployment Tool to add other non Click-To-Run products such as Visio... so you're not telling us anything new there.  It still proved to be a pain in the rear quite honestly.

    As for the people that keep throwing 2013 into the mix.. please stop.  This thread is for 2016 and reinstallation for 2013 is *not* the same.  Why?  Because 2013 does not require you to sign in to a registered MS account that it associated with the product in order to activate - 2016 does.  This is the issue that started this thread.  That is why leaving a customer with re-installation media doesn't solve the problem either (for those that contract and deal with individual end-users).  Most people don't like needing yet another account somewhere and the contractor setting the computer up for them and then likely never seeing the customer again isn't going to use an account of his own.  For those like myself working in an enterprise environment... the company wants to own the software and by letting our employees register an account they now own it, not us.  If they leave we also can't reinstall it later should we reimage the machine as the product is married to the hardware and still requires a login to the MS account registered with it... which we no longer know if the employee has left the company. 

    We have been using a single company account (we didn't like having to create something like that... and need to make more once the max number of registrations are reached) and registering with that... but that had become cumbersome very quickly - we have to keep track of all of the installations along with the date of install and upon reinstallation when we're asked to login in with the correct account to activate the product there is a long list of the same product name to choose from with only a number in paranthesis next to it with no way to tell which is the correct one (and you MUST choose the correct one otherwise it will not work).  To that end I discovered it best to log in to the MS account online, go to "My Account" and you will not only see a list of all installations registered to that account but also the date of install so you may match it to the machine it belongs to... you then click "install" and it downloads the installer and will activate - THIS IS A MAJOR PAIN IN THE A**... especially when you have to manage a fleet of PC's. 

    To that end purchasing the volume license ended all for that for us.  We purchase the licenses as needed and install the software anytime the good old fashioned way - easy peasy.  We also no longer have to fiddle with the Office Deployment Tool for additional Office software such as Visio and Project since the original Office install used an MSI to install and not Click-To-Run... again, it is now easy peasy.

    As I already stated, VL wouldn't be a solution for individual contractors... but many of the people I see in this thread (as well as others) are working for a business such as myself and this works great if you have more than a few computers to service.

    It's silly IMO how some mention all kinds of hoops to jump through in order to make things works with how  MS is trying to feed it to you... and it totally missed the original point.

    Just my two cents.  If it helps you great (it's working great my my company) if not then so be it.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-06-13T11:42:46+00:00

    The "official" reply is silence. 

    Actually, MS does not "officially" reply to any questions posted on this forum.  Rarely, there are some MS employees who reply to question, but not as "official representatives" of the company.

    The unofficial answer to your question is simple. You CANNOT install Office 2016 or Office 365 without an email account. MS has "improved" the install process to make it impossible.

    As RonB pointed out, MS is doing everything it can to "encourage" users to switch to the subscription gravy train. (IMHO) Unfortunately they are too successful at it.

    On your GM analogy, change it to Tesla.  You don't actually 'own' it.  Take a look at the next link, you pay for the car, you drive it, but if you need ANY work on it, you have to go to TESLA and they can shut the car down any time they feel like it.

    http://gas2.org/2015/10/20/do-you-own-a-tesla-or-does-a-tesla-own-you/

    <snip>

    . According to Yahoo, it doesn’t matter whether you are a local car repair facility, a nationally franchised auto repair chain or just an individual owner. Tesla will not give you the tools or data to fix your car, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

    ...

    Tesla has an extra hold over its customers. All of its cars are constantly connected to the cloud, and can self report any tampering or unauthorized access to the car’s software or hardware. In some cases, Tesla can deactivate a car remotely if it feels the car is no longer safe to drive.

    ...

    So what’s wrong with the way Tesla does business when it comes to non-warranty repairs and collision damage? Not a thing — just as long as you understand what the rules of the game are before you decide to park a Tesla in your garage. If you’re the kind of person who likes to twirl your own wrenches and get grease under your finger nails, the Tesla experience may not be the right choice for you.

    </snip>

    Seems like MS is taking lessons from elon musk ...

    http://cafeelectric.com/stretchla/2014/07/14/pariah/

    http://gas2.org/2014/09/27/tesla-wont-activate-mans-salvaged-model-s/

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  5. Anonymous
    2015-10-16T20:23:50+00:00

    I'm being told on the phone (i'm on now with MS) that there is no more OEM 2016.

    2013/2010 were OEM

    2016 is 'retail' even though it's OEM to us (comes with the dells).

    bonus points = telling me that this product key was allocated sept2015 for a laptop (lat 5450) that i literally opened today.

    they're going to give me a link to download, then they're going to make me try to force this through telephone activation

    god help the person that bought 100 machines, i'm just dealing with two and i'm  apoplectic.

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