How to solve Office activation issues

All Microsoft paid products are subject to the activation process. Although this usually works, sometimes there is a problem. This guide describes common ways to solve Office activation problems. It covers Office 365, Office 2019 and Office 2016 and Office 2013.

1. Make sure you have an active subscription or an active license

When your subscription expires, the functionality of Office products is limited. You should also receive an error message asking you to renew your subscription. Go to Office.com and check the status of your subscription in Orders.

2. Use the same account to activate Office with which you bought

You can have multiple Microsoft accounts. You may have accidentally used another account to buy an Office subscription and may have another account to activate it. Make sure you use the correct account to activate the subscription. If you accidentally renew the subscription with another account, use it for Office to activate it.

3. Troubleshoot Microsoft Office activation issues for Office 2019 and Office 365

Read our detailed guide to learn how to use the Office Activation Guide to solve common activation problems.

4. Use the correct key and you will be able to find it.

First, find the Microsoft account with which you purchased the Office subscription. The best way to find out is to open a desktop application, then go to File> Account and look for the "Heard" email address below the product name.