Before you start
- No other version of Microsoft Office may be installed on the computer. Remove earlier versions completely.
- You need an internet connection for the download and the activation.
- Microsoft Teams is not part of the package and is installed separately.
- Have the product key you received by email to hand.
Important: remove leftovers from earlier versions
If an old installation is left behind, activation often fails. Uninstall Office from the control panel, then clean up with the Microsoft tool.
This also applies to versions that were already on the computer when you bought it: Microsoft 365 trials, a pre-installed Office 2024 preview and OneNote installed separately. All of it has to go before you enter your key.
The old Microsoft removal tool completely deletes every Office version from 2010 up to Microsoft 365, including the leftovers a normal uninstall leaves behind.
Download the removal tool Opening the file starts a wizard that walks you through the removal. Restart the computer once when it is done.Install & activate Microsoft Office 2016 Home & Business
This guide shows you simply and step by step how to redeem an Office product key and install Microsoft Office on your computer.
Retail means that the licence is tied to a Microsoft account – you redeem the product key at setup.office.com. Bind means that the licence is permanently linked to a Microsoft account. In both cases the following applies: redeem the product key at setup.office.com and then install Office.
Go to setup.office.com & sign in
Open setup.office.com. Sign in with your Microsoft account (or create a new, free account) and click on “Get started”.
Enter the product key
Enter the 25-character product key and click on “Next”.
Select language & redeem
Select your language and click on “Redeem”.
Download & install
Download Office (64-bit or 32-bit) and run the installation.
After the installation
Open an Office program (e.g. Word) and sign in with the Microsoft account you used to redeem the licence.
Activation & Confirmation ID (CID)
If online activation does not work (e.g. the message “Limit reached”), you can activate Office by phone. In this case you enter your installation ID and receive a confirmation ID (CID) that you enter in the activation wizard.
