Solved Microsoft Office 2021 Activation

I have used Office 2021 since purchasing it in April 2022.

Aroud a month ago I had to reinstall windows. I reinstalled Office 2021 and activated it.

Suddenly this morning it says its not activated and inputting my product key it says it has been used before.

Yes I've been though all that and go round and round getting nowhere.

woldsweather said:

Yes I've been though all that and go round and round getting nowhere.

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Yea, Microsoft Support is the last place to get any Microsoft support.

Earlier versions of MS Office not only had a number-of-devices installation check, but also checked/limited the number of times the product could be re-installed, albeit on the same device. That error message is misleading - it's what I call one of Microsoft's "error message of last resort" i.e. it can't identify what's wrong or it hasn't got a more relevant error message, so it grabs what it thinks is the next best error message out of the error message database

Ring them (you'll need to know the local toll free number for product activation). You'll talk to a bot, it'll ask you for your key which you input from your calling device keypad, and then it'll give an inordinately extra long verification key for activation

EDIT Just out of curiosity (may have some implications), where did you get the key from in the first place?

I bought it on Amazon

woldsweather said:

I bought it on Amazon

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OK, then it's more than likely you've been conned/scammed/ripped off

Why did it work first time ? Sometimes, on initial installation, all that is checked with the license key is that it matches Microsoft's algorithm which determines the accuracy of a license key - the correct sequence of characters that go to make up a license key. A lot of the time, Microsft does not check - as well - that the license key is legitimate for the purchase version of the product. This can include license key matches version, license key is fit for purpose, and also that it is not a key already sold and/or activated.

Checking this latter step can happen at any time, one of the most common being during a product update, all of a sudden a user finds the product de-activated

But it can also happen in your circumstance, a re-install and necessary re-activation - Voila! This key has already been used elsewhere (which is usually the original legitimate owner in the first place) and therefore you've been booted to the touchline. The most common reason is that the key sold is a fake key, and more than likely a key associated with multiple installation business products (VLK - volume licensing key) hence it is not fit for purpose i.e. single installation on a non-domain device not associated with a business/organisation.

There are many dangers in buying keys - cheap or otherwise - from market sites like Amazon, eBay, etc

That's a pain it took me weeks to set up Outlook after the windows reinstall (nothing to do with activation).

I know someone said not to bother with microsoft support, but you honestly should call them. They are the only ones who can help you with an activation error like this. Contact them and let them know what key you have, they can help verify if the key was stolen etc.

Contacting the Office/Office365 support side of Microsoft's house is different than trying to get help from the Windows side. I've never had a problem reaching a real human who was always knowledgeable.

andrew129260 said:

I know someone said not to bother with microsoft support, but you honestly should call them. They are the only ones who can help you with an activation error like this. Contact them and let them know what key you have, they can help verify if the key was stolen etc.

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Will do that thanks

I've cleaned up the thread. The OP needs help, so let's focus on that instead of debating product subscriptions.

Well that's a total surprise I didn't expect the faintest hope of it being legit, however a Microsoft lady took over my PC, ran repair on Office and quickly had it sorted!!

Thanks for the help everyone.