Why is my computer still using Microsoft Office 2021 after installing Office 2024?

Let me make it abundantly clear to you: I purchased Office Professional 2021 from Microsoft. Your implication about my license is not only false, it is also defamatory. I still have my original purchase information and email exchanges. Under no circumstances should you have made a post here on this thread with the veiled accusation you just did. Many of us have been with Microsoft for years; and, in my case, I have been one of their early adopters since the 1990s, providing feedback and, in a few cases, dealing with catastrophic problems from errant code. Spare the people on this thread your blame-the-victims hypothesis. If you are affiliated with Microsoft, then shame on that company for playing that hand here.

Alan, I am just a user same as every other person that have posted on this thread. I have been on the forum for quite a long time. I am just passing on information that I have come to understand is causing the problem the subject of the posts on the forum. I can also say that the best indication there is as to whether a Microsoft Office is legitimate is the price. The old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. How much did you pay for your Office Professional 2021? Is it showing at: https://account.microsoft.com/services  I am sure you will be able to post an image?

I am not accusing anyone doing anything wrong other than they have been scammed by unscrupulous vendors

Spare me your dance away from your accusation that I and others here had committed software piracy. Have the courage of your accusations and just stand your ground. No, I didn't buy from some bulk license vendor, and don't lecture me about "if it's too good to be true..." I've been in and out of IT for more decades than you've likely been alive. I am not posting anything to or for you on this forum to legitimize myself for you. I have my documentation, and I will contact Microsoft directly, which I should have done to start with so I wouldn't have endured your forensic conclusion that we're all law-breakers and also stupid.

I have 3 physical Microsoft Office boxes:

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2016

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021

Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024

Two devices they had been installed upon:

A PC which I installed Windows 11 and entered the Office license myself.

Yet the laptop, had Windows + Office pre-installed upon it (yet I still got the boxes / license keys too, and I checked they are 100% legit / valid).

I've never come across any Office Pro Plus, mentioned anywhere, checking the licenses on the PC/Laptop too. However, perhaps there is some kind of pre-installing of Office on the laptop? Do they use something different for pre-installs at computer stores and just give you a separate valid key in a box too? In which case, I'm actually considering formatting and re-installing the OS entirely again.

Anyways, whatever the issue was is fixed now. Just wondering if others had their OS and Office pre-installed too (which had the issue) or they installed it themselves and manually upgraded them? I originally considered it more of an upgrading issue, in which it just gets confused what key to use upon your Microsoft Account itself?

My MSI Titan was pre-installed with Windows 11 Home. I immediately upgraded to Windows 11 Pro when Microsoft had a limited-time deal for it. There were no Office products on the machine, but I cloned my Office Pro 2021 over (which was done with help from a Microsoft CSR to make sure that canceling the license on the copy on the old computer was done at the right time before the clone was licensed on the new computer). As it turned out, we figured out that it was easier just to de-license the one on the old computer, then uninstall it, then do a fresh install on the new computer. That's why the fellow accusing people here of having "illegitimate licenses" really honked me off: Microsoft verifies licenses when new installations are done. To your reply, Microsoft has a page with your licenses listed. It shouldn't get confused about products, but there might be an issue because, at least on my computer, even after I do a complete install of Office 2024, the "Office 16" folder (as someone else mentioned, too) has almost nothing in it, and the "Licenses" subfolder is completely empty. Oddly, there's nothing in the "Office 15" folder as far as ".exe" files or licenses, either. It's like the apps are running from some Cloud source.