This article provides an overview of the Microsoft Office
Activation Wizard.
Office includes an Activation Wizard.
To fully use Office, you must activate Office. If you do not activate
the product after you install it, the Office programs can be started only in
reduced-functionality mode.
In reduced-functionality mode, Office programs
function more like viewers. In other words, you cannot save modifications to
documents or create a new document. Additional functionality may be reduced
also. No existing Office files are damaged while the product is in
reduced-functionality mode.
We ask that
you activate your product to verify that your installation is performed with a
genuine Microsoft product. Product activation is an anti-piracy technology that
is designed to verify that the product is legitimately licensed. When you
activate your product, no personal information is sent to Microsoft.
Who needs to activate their copy of Office?
Product activation is required for all licenses that are purchased through
retail distribution. If you purchased a new computer from a personal computer
manufacturer, you may have to activate the Microsoft software on that computer.
However, some computer manufacturers may activate the Microsoft software in the
factory.
How does product activation work?
Product
activation validates that the product key has not been used on more personal computers than are
permitted by the end-user license agreement.
You can activate your
product by means of the Internet or by telephone. If you use the telephone to
activate your product, you provide an Installation ID code. In return, you
receive a Confirmation ID number. Activation by telephone is performed through
a Microsoft customer service representative and takes just a few minutes. If
you choose to activate your product over the Internet, the process is performed
automatically. The only information that you have to provide is your
country/region.
Note If you are activating the Product Trial Program version, you can
activate your product only through the Internet.
How do I activate my product?
Except
for Microsoft Office Access 2007, for Microsoft Office Excel 2007, for Microsoft Office
PowerPoint 2007, and for Microsoft Office Word 2007, there
are three methods to access the Office Activation Wizard. These methods are as follows:
Start an Office program that has not been
activated.
Click Activate Product on the
Help menu in any Office program.
Run the Office Activation Wizard outside an
Office program.
To do this, click Start, point to
Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools,
and then click Activate Product.
Note
This method is not available in Microsoft Office 2003 and the 2007 Microsoft Office
system.
For
Access 2007, for Excel 2007, for PowerPoint 2007, and for Word 2007, there are two methods to
access the Office Activation Wizard. These methods are as follows:
Start an Office program that has not been
activated.
Click Activate on the Resources tab. To do this, follow these steps:
Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click
Program Name Options.
Click the Resources tab, and then
click Activate.
What happens during activation?
During
activation, the Office Activation Wizard creates a non-unique hardware
identification that represents the configuration of your computer at the time
of activation. The hardware identification does not include any personal
information, any information about software or data that may reside on your
computer, or any information about the specific make or model of your computer.
The hardware identification identifies only the computer, only for the purpose
of activation.
During activation, you may also provide your personal contact information (name and address) if you want to register your product with Microsoft.
The
Office Activation Wizard can detect and tolerate changes to your computer's
configuration. Minor hardware upgrades do not require re-activation. However,
if you completely overhaul your computer, you may have to activate your product
again.
How does product activation protect customer
privacy?
Microsoft highly values respecting and protecting customers' private information. If you do not register the product, none of the information that is collected during product activation will be used to personally identify you.
Is activation the same as registration?
No.
Activation is different from product registration. If you want, you can
voluntarily register your product by providing your name and contact
information during product activation. If you want to receive future
communications about product updates, service releases, and special offers, you
should register your product.
How do I know whether my product has been
activated?
The Activation Wizard does not run if you activated your
product. If the product is activated, you receive the following message when
you run the Activation Wizard:
The product has already been activated.
Does the product stop working if I do not activate
it?
No. However, the product runs in reduced-functionality
mode.
What is reduced-functionality mode?
In
reduced-functionality mode, programs function similarly to a viewer. When
running in reduced-functionality mode, many menu items are unavailable
(dimmed), thereby blocking access to that functionality. Some of the limitations of reduced-functionality mode include the following limitations:
You cannot create any new documents.
You can view existing documents but you cannot edit
them.
You can print documents but you cannot save
them.
No existing Office files or documents are damaged, and you
can easily get Office out of this mode by following the instructions outlined
in the screens presented.
How do I update information that pertains to product
activation?
To ensure that the information you provide to Microsoft
through the Office Activation Wizard is correct, you can review and update this
information by contacting Microsoft at any time. In some Office products, you
can use the Office Activation Wizard to do this over the Internet or by
telephone. If these options are not available to you, you can update or change
any information that you provided by sending a description of the changes you
want to be made and your Product ID (found in the dialog box that is displayed
when you click the About <program name> command on the
Help menu of any Office program) to the following address.
Microsoft will update your information to reflect any corrections or changes
that you want to be made. It is important that you provide your Product ID, so
that Microsoft can accurately identify your activation record.
Microsoft
Attn: Microsoft Product Activation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
Why do I receive notifications to activate my
product?
If you do not activate your Office product, you receive a
reminder to activate your product each time that you start an Office
program.
Is there more than one type of product license?
Yes. There are the following license types:
Perpetual
End-user subscription
Note As of August 2001, the Office XP Subscription License is not
available in the United States.
Product Trial Program
What is a perpetual license?
A perpetual license
gives you a license to use the Office programs for as long as you own the
product.
For more information,
click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
The
end-user subscription license permits you to use Office for a preset period of
time. The time period lasts 12 months and starts when you activate your copy of
Office. At the end of your subscription period, you can renew your license. If
you choose not to renew your license, you can start the Office programs only
five more times before reduced-functionality mode takes effect.
The
end-user subscription license copy of Office is tied to the computer on which
it is installed; it cannot be sold or moved to another computer. The license
can only be sold together with the computer. Transferring ownership of the
license requires a call to a customer service agent.
For more
information, click the following article number to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For
perpetual license products, you can skip activation 50 times. For end-user
subscription licenses, you can skip activation 20 times. For the Product Trial
Program version, you can skip activation five times. If you do not activate the
product in the allotted number of Office program starts, the Office programs
start running in reduced-functionality mode.
How many installations can be performed with one end-user
license agreement? Can I install the product on my laptop and desktop? How many
times can I reinstall the product and be able to activate it?
The
answers to these questions and other activation policy questions are available
at the following Microsoft Web site:
For more information about product activation and more
frequently asked questions about Microsoft product activation, visit the
following Microsoft Web sites:
Cannot activate OEM edition more than once in Office XP
For more
information about issues that occur when you run Office in Reduced
Functionality mode, click the following article number to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
"This command is not available because the document is locked for edit" error message when you try to edit old or new documents in Office XP and in Office 2003
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