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
    2016-10-02T18:16:52+00:00

    Same is true with me too. However, I have installed about a dozen of Office 2016 for a customer, over the last year. What I find interesting is that some of my older installs don't have an email account associated with it. This was brought to my attention that the current ones that I was installing was "registered in my name." I gave them the card and assured them that I was not stealing the product that I installed. 

    What the customer sees on their screen, "Belongs to: ******@myemailaddress.com". This is terrible as they may believe that they don't own the licensing of the product. 

    The ones that I installed earlier doesn't say a thing about "Belongs to..." 

    A bigger problem than this high dollar product being owned by me is that I set some up using the employee's email account name. When they terminate their employment, we remove the email account from our website/emails. 

    It appears to me that MS didn't think this out well. There must be some class action suit in progress over this as I'm sure there has been a number of these products stolen or lost.

    And at the cost of these products it could result in felony charges, I suspect. And trying to fight that in court would cost a ton of money and be very hard to explain in court how some products didn't say it "belongs" to me but some claimed they did belong to me.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T06:20:24+00:00

    No $hit, has been tried

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T06:17:31+00:00

    Office is becoming the largest PITA to install

    hate to say it - glad someone else is having my experience in pain

    ugh

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  4. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T06:13:42+00:00

    joy

    last fun was being in the middle of BFE with no cell signal and the activation has failed, M$FT sends a text to a phone that has no signal

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-09-26T06:06:39+00:00

    just found out in recent couple of weeks, now we are not even able to register by using company email address as live account. they only work for those public email address such as outlook. And limited number of email address per account and we are running out of mobile phone number by the registration purpose as well. This is getting ridiculous!!!

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