Install Office 2016 from your Microsoft account

Office 2016 is installed from Microsoft, not from us. You turn the key from your order into a licence in your Microsoft account, and then download Office from that account. This guide walks through both parts on a Windows PC. For the step after installation, see Activate Office 2016.

What you received

Your order contains a product key of 25 characters, written like XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. It arrives in your order confirmation email, and it is also kept in your Lizensa account under My Library.

This guide covers two editions:

• Office Home & Student 2016
• Office Professional Plus 2016

Both are delivered as a key only. Lizensa does not send an installer or a disc image for them. The key links Office to your Microsoft account, and Microsoft provides the download. Microsoft licenses a one-time purchase of Office for one installation.

Support has ended. Microsoft ended support for Office 2016 on 14 October 2025, with no extension. Microsoft says the apps may continue to function, but it may no longer provide security fixes, bug fixes or technical support, and there is no phone or chat support. Microsoft also stopped supporting connections from Office 2016 to Microsoft 365 services, such as Exchange Online, in October 2023.

What your PC needs

• Windows: Microsoft lists Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 for Office 2016.
• Processor: 1 GHz or faster, 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64), with SSE2.
• Memory and disk: 2 GB of RAM and 3 GB of free disk space.
• Screen: at least 1024 x 768.
• .NET: Office 2016 needs .NET 3.5; some features need .NET 4.0, 4.5 or 4.6 as well.
• Rights and connection: administrator rights on the PC, or an administrator's password when Windows asks, and an internet connection while Office downloads and installs.

Get the software

Redeem the key with Microsoft

You do this once per key. Redeeming links Office 2016 to your Microsoft account.

1. Go to office.com/setup.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account. Without one, select the option to create a new account.
3. Type the product key from your order, without hyphens.
4. Follow the remaining steps until Microsoft confirms that the product is linked to your account.

Keep a note of the account name. Every reinstall of Office 2016 starts with this account, and you do not redeem the key again.

If office.com/setup refuses the key, do not keep trying. Note the exact message and send it to our support together with your order number.

Install

Before you start, check for other Office versions on the PC. In Windows 11, open Settings > Apps > Installed apps; in Windows 10, open Settings > Apps > Apps & features. Uninstall any older or trial Office you do not use. Two Office installations on one PC can cause activation conflicts. Your files stay where they are.

1. Open account.microsoft.com and sign in with the account from office.com/setup.
2. On the Overview page, select Office apps.
3. Find Office 2016 and select Install. If Office 2016 is listed without an Install option, contact our support with your order number. To choose another language or the 64-bit version, open the drop-down list first, make your choice and then select Install.
4. Open the downloaded setup file. Edge offers Open file, Chrome Setup and Firefox Save File.
5. Windows asks "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?". Select Yes.
6. Office downloads and installs. Keep the PC connected and switched on.
7. The message "You're all set! Office is installed now" ends the installation. Select Close.

Office 2016 now appears in the Start menu. Type the name of an app, such as Excel, in the search box to find it.

32-bit and 64-bit Office cannot be installed side by side. If the PC already has a 32-bit Office, Visio or Project, install the 32-bit version of Office 2016 or remove the other product first.

Activate

To activate Office:

1. Open Word or Excel.
2. Read the licence terms and select Accept.

In most cases Office is activated at this point. If Office asks you to sign in, use the account from office.com/setup. If the Activation Wizard opens, follow its instructions. The activation guide covers the wizard and the error messages you may see.

Activate by telephone

If online activation does not work and the Activation Wizard offers the telephone option:

1. Select "I want to activate the software by telephone" and then Next.
2. Choose your country or region and call the number shown.
3. Read out the Installation ID, type in the Confirmation ID you receive and select Next.

Check it worked

1. Open Word.
2. Select File > Account.
3. Look at Product Information. It should name your edition, Office Home & Student 2016 or Office Professional Plus 2016, without a request to activate.

Open Excel and PowerPoint too, and create a short test document. The title bar of each app should not show "Unlicensed Product". If it does, Office is installed but not activated; continue with the activation guide.

If something goes wrong

Office 2016 does not appear under Office apps. You are probably signed in with a different Microsoft account. Sign out, sign in with the account you used at office.com/setup and look again. If you used several addresses, try each of them.

office.com/setup says "This product key has already been used". The key is already linked to a Microsoft account. Sign in with that account at account.microsoft.com and install from Office apps.

office.com/setup says "This product key isn't meant for your region". Do not try other keys. Contact our support with your order number and the exact message.

The setup file does not start or stops with an error. Make sure your Windows account has administrator rights and that the PC is online. Restart the PC and run the file again. If the error repeats, write down the message and send it to our support.

Setup reports a conflict with another Office product. A different Office version, or an Office product with the other architecture (32-bit or 64-bit), is still installed. Uninstall it, restart the PC and start setup again.

After installation the title bar says "Unlicensed Product". Activation has failed, and most features are switched off. Open Word, sign in with the right Microsoft account and follow the activation guide. If Office also shows code 0x4004F00C, see error 0x4004F00C.

Office says the product key is not valid. Compare the key with your order email character by character. If it matches and Office still refuses it, contact our support with your order number. See error 0xC004F050.

Need more help? Contact our support with your order number, the edition and the exact message on screen.