Processes in Microsoft 365 for setting up Office apps, redeeming product keys, and activating licenses.
For a new Windows PC with Office pre-installed, this usually means the included Office offer was not fully claimed or the preinstalled copy is stuck. Use this order:
- Verify Windows is activated first.
- In the Windows search box, type Activation.
- Select See if Windows is activated.
- Confirm it says Windows is activated.
- If Windows was only recently activated, wait up to 30 minutes, then open Word again and try Office activation.
- Start an Office app and sign in with the Microsoft account that should own the included Office offer.
- If the activation wizard appears, follow the prompts.
- On new devices with an included purchase or offer, the digital product key is transmitted to the PC, so there is no printed key to enter.
- If the preinstalled activation flow still does not complete, reinstall Office from the Microsoft account.
- Close all Office apps.
- Go to Services & subscriptions: https://account.microsoft.com/services/
- Sign in with the same Microsoft account used to set up Office.
- Find the Office product and select Install.
- Choose install options, then select Install and complete setup.
- This is the documented workaround when a new PC keeps returning to the setup page or the preinstalled copy does not activate correctly.
- If Word shows activation errors such as Unlicensed Product, check the common causes:
- Make sure the sign-in account is the one used to buy or claim Office.
- Check whether more than one copy of Office is installed, because multiple installs can cause activation conflicts.
- Check whether the subscription or product status is active.
- If the message says “The products we found in your account can't be used to activate”, the installed apps may not match the product owned.
- This can happen when the device has Microsoft 365 apps preinstalled, but the owned product does not include all those apps.
- It can also happen on a new device that needs Office updates before recognizing an Office 2019 product key.
- In that case, update Office first, or install the correct Office edition from the Microsoft account.
- If the included Office still shows as unclaimed in Microsoft Store and the claim button only refreshes, use Microsoft guided support for activation issues.
- Guided support is available here: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2242525
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