Activate Office 2021: retail and volume keys

Activation proves to Microsoft that your copy of Office 2021 is licensed. If Office stays unactivated, Microsoft eventually turns off most of its editing features. This guide starts with Office already on the computer. If it is not, follow Install Office 2021 first.

What you received

You receive one 25-character product key with your order. You find it in the order confirmation email and in My Library in your Lizensa account. Here it is shown as XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

Office 2021 uses two kinds of key, and each activates in its own way:

• Retail key: Home & Student 2021, Home & Business 2021 and Home & Business 2021 for Mac. You redeem it at office.com/setup, which adds Office to your Microsoft account. After that, signing in is enough to activate.
• Volume key (MAK, Multiple Activation Key): Professional Plus 2021, Standard 2021 and their volume versions with several users, such as Standard MAK. These are the Office LTSC 2021 editions. You type the key into Office itself. Microsoft counts every activation against the key's limit. Once activated, the PC keeps its activation unless its hardware changes substantially.

Microsoft ended support for Office 2021 on 13 October 2026. The apps may keep working, but Microsoft no longer provides security fixes, updates or technical support for them.

Get the software

A key activates only the edition it belongs to. Retail keys fit the Office that Microsoft installs from your Microsoft account. Volume keys fit the LTSC edition from the ISO in your library; your download link is in your order email and in your account.

To see which edition is on the PC, open Word and select File > Account. The name under Product Information must match your order. A Standard key cannot activate Professional Plus, and a retail key cannot activate an LTSC edition.

Install

You can only activate an installation that has finished. If you are not sure, here is the short version:

• Retail on Windows: sign in at account.microsoft.com/services, select Install next to Office 2021 and run the downloaded file. On a Mac, run the downloaded installer package instead.
• Professional Plus and Standard: save your work and close all Office apps, because setup closes them. Mount the ISO from your library, then run install.cmd from the new drive as administrator.

The installation guide has every step, including removing older Office versions first.

Activate

Home & Student and Home & Business

Redeem the key first if you have not done so yet. Go to office.com/setup, sign in or create a Microsoft account and enter the key. Then:

1. Start Word from the Start menu.
2. Sign in with the same Microsoft account when Word asks for it.
3. Accept the licence agreement.

Office looks up your licence in the account and activates. If the Activation Wizard opens instead, follow its steps. On a Mac, open Word from Launchpad and select Get Started in the What's New window, then sign in.

Professional Plus and Standard: your volume key

The ISO contains no personal key. After setup, Office runs on Microsoft's generic volume licence key (GVLK). That key is meant for activation through a KMS server, which you do not need. Replace it with your MAK in one of two ways.

Option 1: in Word

1. Open Word and select File > Account.
2. Under Product Information, select Change Product Key.
3. Type your key and select Activate.

On volume editions, Microsoft stops standard users from activating with a MAK by default. If the option is missing or your key is refused, sign in with an administrator account and use option 2.

Option 2: with Command Prompt

1. Open Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
2. Put your key into Office:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /inpkey:XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

3. Start online activation:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /act

A successful run ends with <Product activation successful>. If Windows reports that it cannot find the script, look in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16. If OSPP.VBS is there, use that folder in every command in this guide.

Activate by telephone

Use the telephone when the PC has no internet connection or when online activation keeps failing. If Microsoft reports that the key has reached its activation limit, contact our support with your order number and the error message.

Volume key, with Command Prompt:

1. Install the key with the /inpkey command above. This step works offline.
2. Display the installation ID:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dinstid

3. Call Microsoft's activation number for your country. Microsoft lists them on its activation centres page.
4. Read out the installation ID. You receive a confirmation ID in return.
5. Enter it without spaces or hyphens:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /actcid:CONFIRMATIONID

With the Activation Wizard (retail and volume): when Office shows the Activation Wizard, select "I want to activate the software by telephone" and then Next. Choose your country or region, call the number displayed and read out the installation ID. Type the confirmation ID you receive into the wizard and select Next.

Check it worked

Retail on Windows: in Word, select File > Account. Product Information names your Office 2021 edition and shows no activation warning. On a Mac, see Office for Mac.

Professional Plus and Standard: open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dstatus

Find the block whose LICENSE NAME begins with Office 21 and check two lines in it:

• LICENSE STATUS: ---LICENSED--- means the activation is done.
• Last 5 characters of installed product key: must show the last five characters of your own key.

---NOTIFICATIONS--- instead of ---LICENSED--- means Office is not activated yet. Other last five characters mean that a different key is installed. In both cases, run the /inpkey and /act commands again.

If something goes wrong

Error 0xC004F074, no Key Management Service could be contacted. Office is still on the generic KMS key. Install your own key with /inpkey and run /act. More in error 0xC004F074.

Error 0x80070005, access denied. The command ran without administrator rights. Open Command Prompt with Run as administrator and try again. More in error 0x80070005.

Error 0xC004F050, the product key is invalid. The key was mistyped, or it belongs to another edition. Compare it with your order email character by character and check the installed edition. If a correctly typed Professional Plus or Standard key is still refused, send our support your order number before you try anything else. More in error 0xC004F050.

Error 0xC004C020, the MAK has exceeded its activation limit. Microsoft has counted every activation the key allows. Repeating the attempt does not help. Send our support your order number. More in error 0xC004C020.

Error 0xC004C008 or 0xC004C003. With 0xC004C008, Microsoft's activation server cannot use the key. With 0xC004C003, the server has blocked it. In both cases, send our support your order number and the full message. More in error 0xC004C008 and error 0xC004C003.

Another code. Ask Office what it means, putting your code in place of the example:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /ddescr:0xC004F074

Earlier failed attempts are listed by:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dhistoryacterr

Retail: Office asks for a product key although you signed in. You are probably signed in with a different Microsoft account. In File > Account, sign out and sign in with the account you used at office.com/setup.

Office asks for activation again after a hardware change. A significant change, such as a new main board, can make a volume edition ask for activation again. Enter your key and activate as described above; each activation counts towards the key's limit. To reinstall a retail edition, use the Microsoft account you used at office.com/setup and sign in. If the Activation Wizard appears, follow its steps.

Still stuck? Contact our support with your order number, the last five characters of your key and the exact error message.