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"Online activation did not complete successfully because the product key has been used the maximum number of times permitted" with Office for Mac 2011

Article ID: 2390723 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to activate Microsoft Office for Mac 2011, you receive the following error message:

Online activation did not complete successfully because the product key has been used the maximum number of times permitted.

Click Go Back, make sure that you entered the correct product key, and then click Activate again. If you do not have an Internet connection, you can activate by phone.

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CAUSE

You receive the error message if one of the following conditions is true:

You are trying to use the same product key on multiple computers, and you exceed the limit that is specified in the Microsoft Software License Terms. The Microsoft Software License Terms are located in the product installation folder on your computer. For some products, the Terms allow activation on more than one computer. See the Microsoft Software License Terms for more information, including how many computers that the product can be activated on.
You made significant changes to your computer's hardware, such as installing a new RAM card, a video card, or other hardware.
You reformatted the hard disk.

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RESOLUTION

License information:

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•	Home and Business 1PK – Licensed for 1 Mac (1 User).
•	Hme and Business 2PK – Licensed for 1 user to install on 2 Macs.
•	Home and Student 1PK – Licensed for home and student use on 1 Mac.
•	Home and Student Family Pack - Licensed for home and student use on 3 Macs per household.
•	Academic version – Licensed for qualified Academic use on 1 Mac.
•	Purchasing a card with a 27 digit PIN:
•	Home and Business 2 Pack – Licensed for 1 user for install on 2 Macs.

If the number of activations for the product exceeds the number of activations (see table above) that the Microsoft Software License Terms allows, you must purchase additional copies of the product. To do this, visit the following Microsoft website:

http://www.mactopia.com/

(http://www.mactopia.com/)

See the Microsoft Software License Terms for information on how many times you can activate your product. Under the section for your version of product read the Installation and Use Rights. For example, if you have Office Home and Business 2011, see Section 2 and read 2. Installation and Use Rights. To view the terms, visit the following Microsoft websites:

http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualProperty/UseTerms/Default.aspx

(http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualProperty/UseTerms/Default.aspx)

http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Office%20for%20Mac_2011_English_9b97495f-e3b7-464c-bd3c-4959f0104e7e.pdf

(http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Office%20for%20Mac_2011_English_9b97495f-e3b7-464c-bd3c-4959f0104e7e.pdf)

If you are not exceeding the number of activations that is allowed by the Microsoft Software License Terms, click the Activate By Phone button, select the location, and then call the telephone number that is displayed. For example, for the United States, the number is (866) 825-4797. For the United Kingdom, it is (44) (203) 147-4930.

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