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
    2018-02-02T14:37:56+00:00

    lalalalalala

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T13:06:49+00:00

    Guys - Ron Barker is a long-serving MS Troll in this long-thread who promised to leave many many pages ago but apparently just cannot help himself. He provides the standard MS responses and answers people with the obvious. He never did get the OP's concept fully. Or if he did, chooses to ignore it and promote the MS "solution". Just ignore the man.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T09:47:35+00:00

    RonBaker, we have problems registering multiple licenses with a common account. You cannot tell which license has been activated and once activating the wrong one, you have to wipe clean and redo. And if you register base on per user, you cannot change the user name once the user left the company.

    This is per-device-base license, why must it tag to user and become per-user-base license? This is not security. This is additional restriction.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T07:24:37+00:00

    and then there becomes the issue of the dedicated user's M$ account going inactive due to lack of activity, and the email account has been deleted so no way to get the M$ email to confirm...

    hmmm....

    i love my mac and OpenOffice

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T07:16:46+00:00

    RonBaker is attempting to square a circle. How is this a security enhancement when this is registering company license to individual employee email account such that they take away company license when they resign for another company?

    No, I am not a company can use a company Microsoft Account to register up to 25 retail versions  (One-time-payments) of Office Home and Business.  Using a Microsoft Account IS a security measure.  Not only is a security measure it also creates an Office Account from where Office can be reinstalled at any time.  I don't how I have started getting email alerts for this thread I will have to remove the email alert again.

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