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
    2018-02-01T21:47:18+00:00

    No dippy... he's not talking about "internet usage" at all and how you got that from his comment is beyond me. What he means is that you can only register products to an MS account so many times - I believe the limit is 20.  The answer to his question is that you need to create another MS account to register the software installs beyond that to.  None of this solves the original problem and reading through the 47 pages now of replies it amazes me how some of you that think you are answering the question and simply don't get what was being asked in the first place... and then you argue the point as though the other 85% of the people on here all having the same problem don't know what they're talking about.

    The bottom line is that this is ridiculous what MS has done and it's simply meant to push a subscription service off on people that many don't want.  Also, gawd forbid you try and install another Office product (like Visio) afterward from an online purchase and install from an ISO/disc - those use an MSI installer and it will not install along side the existing Office products because they used "Click To Run" installers and the two are not compatible.  A work around (which I just had to do for someone today on one of our older laptops coincidentally) is to use the MS Office Deployment Tool after hacking the config.xml file a bit.

    For my company we eventually started buying Volume License versions.  With those we can install Office from a disc (ISO) like the good old days, enter the key and wahlah... no MS account needing registered to it!  It's literally solved all of our problems.  Future additional products (Visio, Project, etc.) also install with no issue either.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-01T21:36:27+00:00

    That is when I try to enter my phone to create the new account.  What would this have to do with my internet usage???  I have been in a chat with microsoft chat for over an hour now and they can't help at all.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-01T21:31:57+00:00

    Eric

    If I understand you correctly! Microsoft cannot do anything about your internet usage. Creating a Microsoft Account is a very low usage task.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-01T21:11:02+00:00

    So what do you do when you can't create a Microsoft account because Usage limit exceeded. Try again tomorrow. never goes away.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-01-27T21:16:00+00:00

    You are posting on the end of  a thread which does not deal with your problem and therefore you will not receive the attention you need.  Do you mean that you have purchased a retail version of Office 2016.  If you have you will have been provided with a 25 character key. You can download/install your Office 2016 at: https://setup.office.com/  You need to use the email address and password for a Microsoft Account. BEFORE you install you need to uninstall your Office 365 which includes a  version of Office 2016 so they will clash.

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