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

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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.

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?

what I cannot understand we people in the forum with this particular problem office 2024 upgrade is still showimg office 2021 for word/excel office 2021? In my case, my outlook is now showimg 2024 and I didn't loose my data and settins despite the message saying I would if I said yes to the office message button. I thought worse case if I did loose data, i e emails, I had my pst file backed up.

I clicked yes and the 2024 was there! although the new format , yuk

however, clicked on Help and clicked "Classic Outlook" and the old look, easy to use and file to folders!!!

no surprise, Word/Excel still reflecting office 2021 despite using the swap Office 21 to Office 24 button.

very exprienced person saying nothing will happen until "fixed !!!" by MS..

there must be around 100 on this forum with quite few having done some of self fixes to get it working as expected but most still not working.

Not living in the US (born there, served there) it looks 1000's did get it to work here in the UK and many times more in the US.

Has MS been alerted in the US about the folks on this forum with this issue? have responded.

Could someone do that please. If no success, we have a tech magazine here that will and have followed through these types of problems to a result. phoning the ceo until a respone is received.

Could a specific type of hardware built say on specific production date, maybe something a relative small number with the same hardware or sofware environment could be problem.

just some thoughts after a few weeks of despair

pc saxon

Preach it, brother.