"Invalid product key or license mismatch" error message when you try to activate Office 2013

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    Office Standard 2013, Office Professional Plus 2013, Windows Server 2012 Datacenter, Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

Symptoms

Assume that you try to activate Microsoft Office 2013 by using the Volume Activation Tools wizard on a Windows Server 2012-based computer. Additionally, assume that you use Active Directory-based or Key Management Service-based activation. In this situation, you receive the following error message:

Invalid product key or license mismatch. Please confirm this product key is entered correctly and is valid for this application or Windows edition.

Cause

This issue occurs because you add the Volume Activation Tools role to Windows Server 2012, but you do not install Office 2013 Volume License Pack.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, install Office 2013 Volume License Pack. To download Office 2013 Volume License Pack, go to the following Microsoft Download Center website:

Download Microsoft Office 2013 Volume License Pack now

This installation starts the Volume Activation Tools wizard and enables you to select the activation type, enter the Office 2013 KMS host key, and activate Office 2013.

More Information

Windows Server 2012 does not have the files that are required to activate an Office 2013 KMS host key. Microsoft Office Volume License Pack includes these files and enables you to successfully activate a KMS host key.