Solved After Windows 11 Upgrade Office Suite Activation Issues


FreakyFrankz

Member
Local time
6:35 AM
Posts
5
OS
Windows 11 Pro
After upgrading my wife's PC to Win 11 from Win 10 via Windows Update, her Office 2019 Home and Business asked for activation again, but would throw up an error saying the key was already in use. After searching, I see many people having this problem with the Office Suites installed by iso or the installer. I don't think you'll have this problem with 365, as it's online. Repairing will not work, activating by phone will not work either. Skip all the regedits and all the other bull you find and do this:
Completely uninstall your Office suite.
Then go to this site and log in with your Microsoft credentials that you were using the suite with before: https://account.microsoft.com/
Then go to this site and enter your activation key: Sign in to your account
Download and reinstall=profit!

Worked first time for me.
 
Windows Build/Version
Win 11 Pro 22H2
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASRock
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800x
    Motherboard
    ASRock x570M Pro4
    Memory
    CORSAIR Vengeance RGB RT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 1660ti
    Sound Card
    7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Caps
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 29UM68-P 29-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor with FreeSync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2x - Corsair MP600 PRO XT M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4
    2x - Crucial MX300 2TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    Corsair CX650
    Case
    SilverStone Technology Micro-ATX SST-SG12B-V2-USA
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.Black, Low-Profile
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
I have both Office 2019 Pro Plus and Office 2021 Pro Plus. I used two different Microsoft sites to login and download each one.

The site I went to login and download Office 2021 was as you said https://account.microsoft.com/

Office 2021.jpg

However the site I went to login and download Office 2019 was Setup Office or Microsoft 365

Office 2019.jpg
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
    Memory
    Micron DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 300Hz
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 980 (1TB M.2 NVME SSD)
    PSU
    n/a
    Mouse
    Wireless Mouse M510
    Internet Speed
    1200Mbps/250Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
    Memory
    G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23A300B (23-in LED)
    Screen Resolution
    1080p 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    2TB XPG SX8200 Pro (M2. PCIe SSD) || 2TB Intel 660P (M2. PCIe SSD) ||
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master MasterCase 5
    Cooling
    Corsair H60 AIO water cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech K350 (wireless)
    Keyboard
    Logitech M510 (wireless)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps down / 200 Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes (Premium)
    Other Info
    ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
That's correct. 2021, 2019, and 2016 bring you to different looking sites to download depending on year of the key, but all of them work. My new 2021 Pro Plus key brought me here:Screenshot 2023-04-23 180628.jpg
I'm not sure why the keys already in use by you don't correctly attach to your account after the upgrade. My wife was using hers for a few years and she was logged in the whole time. It didn't show in her account before I uninstalled it. I guess it released the key when I did, then I added it to her account via the website and it re-attached and was able to re-install and activate. Microsoft bug.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASRock
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800x
    Motherboard
    ASRock x570M Pro4
    Memory
    CORSAIR Vengeance RGB RT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 1660ti
    Sound Card
    7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Caps
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 29UM68-P 29-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor with FreeSync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2x - Corsair MP600 PRO XT M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4
    2x - Crucial MX300 2TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    Corsair CX650
    Case
    SilverStone Technology Micro-ATX SST-SG12B-V2-USA
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.Black, Low-Profile
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
That's correct. 2021, 2019, and 2016 bring you to different looking sites to download depending on year of the key, but all of them work. My new 2021 Pro Plus key brought me here:View attachment 58655
I'm not sure why the keys already in use by you don't correctly attach to your account after the upgrade. My wife was using hers for a few years and she was logged in the whole time. It didn't show in her account before I uninstalled it. I guess it released the key when I did, then I added it to her account via the website and it re-attached and was able to re-install and activate. Microsoft bug.
Since I was buying a new laptop I uninstalled Office 2019 Pro Plus on my old laptop.

When I tried to install Office 2019 Pro Plus on my new laptop it wouldn't activate it with the old key. I didn't have time to worry about that so I bought Office 2021 Pro Plus for my new laptop. It activated fine.

I reinstalled Office 2019 Pro Plus on my old laptop. It activated again with the old key.

I am not sure why I couldn't activate Office 2019 Pro Plus on my new laptop. Maybe if I had waited long enough the old activation would have been released by the activation server. I guess I will never know for sure.

BTW, has your wife ever had Word 2019 freeze for maybe 20-30 seconds. Word worked OK until it did it again maybe a week later. Word 2021 does that also but not as often.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
    Memory
    Micron DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 300Hz
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 980 (1TB M.2 NVME SSD)
    PSU
    n/a
    Mouse
    Wireless Mouse M510
    Internet Speed
    1200Mbps/250Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
    Memory
    G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23A300B (23-in LED)
    Screen Resolution
    1080p 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    2TB XPG SX8200 Pro (M2. PCIe SSD) || 2TB Intel 660P (M2. PCIe SSD) ||
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master MasterCase 5
    Cooling
    Corsair H60 AIO water cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech K350 (wireless)
    Keyboard
    Logitech M510 (wireless)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps down / 200 Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes (Premium)
    Other Info
    ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
Did you try the "Activate by phone" option when the window popped up? It usually works after uninstalling from the old PC, but only a few times.
As for the freezing, I would try the "Repair Online" method by going into Apps in Settings and selecting repair from the options. I've seen Word turn milky and freeze before and the repair method took care of it. Sometimes, a converted document will cause it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASRock
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800x
    Motherboard
    ASRock x570M Pro4
    Memory
    CORSAIR Vengeance RGB RT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 1660ti
    Sound Card
    7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Caps
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 29UM68-P 29-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor with FreeSync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2x - Corsair MP600 PRO XT M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4
    2x - Crucial MX300 2TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    Corsair CX650
    Case
    SilverStone Technology Micro-ATX SST-SG12B-V2-USA
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.Black, Low-Profile
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech
Did you try the "Activate by phone" option when the window popped up? It usually works after uninstalling from the old PC, but only a few times.
As for the freezing, I would try the "Repair Online" method by going into Apps in Settings and selecting repair from the options. I've seen Word turn milky and freeze before and the repair method took care of it. Sometimes, a converted document will cause it.
I could have tried activate by phone but because of the freezing problem I used it as an excuse to buy Office 2021. I am not sorry I did that. I have two copies of Office 2919 and one of Office 2021. Word freezes occasionally in all of them. One time I tried a repair in one of the copies of Office 2019. It made no difference in the freezing problem.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS TUF Gaming A15 (2022)
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon 680M GPU (486MB RAM)
    Memory
    Micron DDR5-4800 (2400MHz) 16GB (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA RTX 3060 Laptop (6GB RAM)
    Sound Card
    n/a
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6-inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 300Hz
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 980 (1TB M.2 NVME SSD)
    PSU
    n/a
    Mouse
    Wireless Mouse M510
    Internet Speed
    1200Mbps/250Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME X370-PRO
    Memory
    G.SKILL Flare X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX3060TI-08G-V2-GAMING (RTX 3060-Ti, 8GB RAM)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23A300B (23-in LED)
    Screen Resolution
    1080p 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    2TB XPG SX8200 Pro (M2. PCIe SSD) || 2TB Intel 660P (M2. PCIe SSD) ||
    PSU
    Corsair RM750x (750 watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master MasterCase 5
    Cooling
    Corsair H60 AIO water cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech K350 (wireless)
    Keyboard
    Logitech M510 (wireless)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps down / 200 Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes (Premium)
    Other Info
    ASUS Blu-ray Burner BW-16D1HT (SATA) || Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 external hard drive used with Acronis True Image backup software || HP OfficeJet Pro 6975 Printer/Scanner
The "repair online" does a fresh install. Mysterious. None of the other programs freeze, such as Excel, PowerPoint, etc.?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASRock
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800x
    Motherboard
    ASRock x570M Pro4
    Memory
    CORSAIR Vengeance RGB RT 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4 4000 (PC4 32000)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 1660ti
    Sound Card
    7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Caps
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 29UM68-P 29-Inch 21:9 UltraWide IPS Monitor with FreeSync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    2x - Corsair MP600 PRO XT M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express 4.0 x4
    2x - Crucial MX300 2TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD
    PSU
    Corsair CX650
    Case
    SilverStone Technology Micro-ATX SST-SG12B-V2-USA
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-L9a-AM4 chromax.Black, Low-Profile
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech

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