how to activate my office professional plus 2016 on my pc

M McBride 0 Reputation points
2026-09-14T19:07:01.6633333+00:00

I was running Office Professional Plus 2016 on my Windows 10 PC. However, I signed out of the account because I upgraded my PC with new hardware and to enable it to run Windows 11. I now need help activating Office Professional Plus 2016 on the upgraded PC running Windows 11. I have my license key and understand it is a perpetual license (which I originally purchased using your HUP program).

Thank You!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows

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  1. Stefan Blom 351.7K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-14T19:20:53.5733333+00:00

    I now need help activating Office Professional Plus 2016 on the upgraded PC running Windows 11. I have my license key and understand it is a perpetual license (which I originally purchased using your HUP program).

    Since this was purchased via HUP, you should be able to download and install Office via the order history page at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/workplace-discount-program/order-history?msockid=16f825d26fb0601c2ee232a46e41616e .

    You'll need the original workplace e-mail obtained from your employer at the time.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-14T19:07:31.04+00:00

    Since this was originally purchased through the Microsoft Workplace Discount Program, activate Office Professional Plus 2016 this way:

    1. Open an Office app such as Word.
    2. In the Sign in to set up Office window, select I don't want to sign in or create an account.
    3. Enter the Office product key without hyphens.

    If the key was already redeemed before, do not redeem it again. Instead, sign in with the Microsoft account that was used when the product was originally redeemed, then install or reinstall Office from account.microsoft.com/services/office/install.

    If activation still fails, check for multiple Office installations and remove any version not being used:

    1. Open Control Panel.
    2. Go to Programs > Programs and Features.
    3. Search for office.
    4. If more than one Office version appears, uninstall the one not being used.
    5. Restart the PC.
    6. Open Office again and complete activation.

    If the upgraded PC is showing repeated activation prompts and Office is a volume license edition, first verify it shows as Office Professional Plus and has a Change Product Key link under File > Account. If so, a leftover preinstalled Office activation entry may be causing the prompt.

    Warning: the next step modifies the registry. Incorrect changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry first.

    1. Close all Office apps.
    2. Press Start, select Run, type regedit, and press Enter.
    3. Go to:
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\OEM
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\OEM
    4. Export each OEM key as a backup.
    5. Delete each OEM key.
    6. Close Registry Editor and start Office again.

    For one-time purchase Office editions, Office Home & Business, Office Home & Student, and Office Professional are licensed for one computer. If moved to different hardware and activation limit is reached, phone activation is the documented path after reinstalling, and Office must be uninstalled from the original computer.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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