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
    2017-01-18T23:41:26+00:00

    ProTech, I believe you're right.  Indeed, MS announced with Office 2013 that it would be the last non-subscription edition.  Clearly they backed off of that and released 2016.  Adobe has done that with their entire "CC" line of products--Photoshop, etc.  However, they did respond to a serious outcry when they announced $20 a month for Photoshop.  The end price became $10 a month.  That's still $10 a month for the rest of your life.  So it would be with office.  Software subscriptions are like annuities for the software publishers, so it will happen at Microsoft.

    Adobe went to subscriptions because their upgrade versions were not sufficient upgrades or new features for users to buy them.  Even serious users would buy only every other version at most.  Is that not the same case with MS Office?  Not one user I know has felt compelled to upgrade from Office 2013 to 2016.  My clients never upgrade, since the computers are replaced after 4 or 5 years, and they buy a new one with the current Office included.

    Many amateur photographers moved from Photoshop to Lightroom (a low end photo editor from Adobe) or Paint Shop Pro, or others rather than subscribe.  Many others opted to upgrade to the last purchase version, Photoshop CS6, and proclaimed they would stick with it as long as it still worked.  In my household, my wife moved to the subscription Photoshop CC, and I stuck with Photoshop CS6.  Since that change, my wife has spent about $340; I've spent -0-.  In the word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics realm, I can see people retaining Office 2016 as long as it will run and then moving to Open Office or Libre Office.  I don't know what I'll do.  Now I have my Action Pack with all the licenses I can use.  When I retire, I'll probably stop my Action Pack subscription and then move to Libre Office.

    One thing is certain.  Microsoft is almost big enough and rich enough to make someone else serious about competing.  That someone else could easily be Google.  Competition is the universal solution to monopoly greed.

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-01-19T14:54:30+00:00

    This is an absolute nightmare for the small to medium sized company that does not wish to go volume licensing.

    I have a Dell OEM Home and Business 2016 and cannot activate it.

    For the past 60 activations I had created two Live accounts tied to the Business.  I just went to create a third but in doing so I get flagged from Microsoft - You can't sign up here with a work or school email address.  Use a personal email, such as Gmail or Yahoo!

    Hello Microsoft!?!?!  It is not a good idea to tie personal email addresses to business licenses.  And not everyone is in a position to go Volume licensing.

    So I repeat, trying to activate 2016 Microsoft Office has become a nightmare.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-01-19T15:06:24+00:00

    IT Guy 1965:

    OP here. This is an even more sinister twist than I ever expected, as if things are not difficult enough already. As it turns out, this block apparently occurs only if your e-mail domain is an Azure AD account, or so it would seem from this post that shows that this additional burden on small business has been in the works for a few months: https://redmondmag.com/articles/2016/09/15/microsoft-account-overlap-solution.aspx.

    Yuck...again!

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-01-19T15:30:08+00:00

    IT Guy 1965:

    OP here. This is an even more sinister twist than I ever expected, as if things are not difficult enough already. As it turns out, this block apparently occurs only if your e-mail domain is an Azure AD account, or so it would seem from this post that shows that this additional burden on small business has been in the works for a few months: https://redmondmag.com/articles/2016/09/15/microsoft-account-overlap-solution.aspx.

    Yuck...again!

    We have Azure AD only for email purposes.  We moved to O365 email about two years ago and only use it for synchronization.

    We are about 350 person company and we buy OEM Office with our new Dells.

    On Dell chat about it but the guy says they can't help.  I'm sure they will give us Microsoft number and they will probably want to charge $250 tech support to get this legit Office installed.

    Very very frustrating.

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-01-19T19:02:07+00:00

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