Subscription vs Purchase of Office

Barbara Graham 20 Reputation points
2026-09-15T19:04:12.4+00:00

I am not renewing my 365 subscription. It runs out at the end of the month.

Instead, I have purchased Office Home 2024 and installed it. It does show on my account as redeemed.

However, when I try to change or update the license to the newly purchased Office Home 2024 it does not show up.

Instead, an old Office Pro 2016 I purchased shows as the best one for me to switch to. However, that app (Office Pro 2016) is not installed on my PC. So there is no old app to delete.

Maybe the subscription needs to run out before the new Office Home 2024 will appear?

Any ideas.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows
Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

2026-09-15T19:04:27.78+00:00

Yes — if Microsoft 365 is still active, Office can continue to prefer that subscription license until it expires. After the subscription ends, Office Home 2024 should become the available license, provided it is already redeemed to the same Microsoft account.

Try this:

  1. Confirm Office Home 2024 is on the account.
    • Go to Subscription.
    • Check that Microsoft Office Home 2024 appears under Products you've purchased.
  2. In an Office app, check the current license.
    • Open Word or Excel.
    • Go to File > Account.
    • Under Product Information, check which license is currently being used.
  3. If Microsoft 365 is still shown, wait until the subscription expires.
    • The installed apps can continue to show the Microsoft 365 license while that subscription is active.
    • Once the subscription ends, the Office Home 2024 license should be the one available for that account.
  4. If it still does not switch after expiration, reinstall from the redeemed product.
    • Remove the existing Office installation from Windows.
    • Then go to Services & subscriptions and install Office from the Office Home 2024 entry tied to the account.
  5. After reinstalling, reopen an Office app and verify the result.
    • Go again to File > Account.
    • Under Product Information, it should show Microsoft Office Home 2024.

Relevant detail: Office 2024 is a one-time purchase for one computer, while Microsoft 365 is a subscription. If both are associated with the same account, the subscription license can take precedence until it ends.

References:

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