How to Transfer a Microsoft Office License

Generally, Microsoft Office comes pre-installed with some Windows version and computer systems. Other times, they have to be bought and are not particularly cheap. Therefore, this may appear as a problem when you’re buying a new computer. However, we can help you out by showing how to transfer a Microsoft Office license.

Here, we will show how to carry out a Microsoft Office license transfer for Office 2010 to 2013 versions only. Microsoft has made this process easier for Office 2016 and Office 365. 

Things to Consider Beforehand 

Firstly, there are a few things you need to consider before you move on to the transfer process. You need to make sure of the following criteria. 

• Your Microsoft Office license is transferable or not 
• You have the product key (usually of 25 characters) 
• The product key matches the installation media of your Microsoft Office 

These conditions are not required for users who have Office 2016 or Office 365. Earlier, Microsoft Office would be linked to the hardware of a computer. Thus, it would be lost if the hardware was changed or thrown away. However, nowadays, Office licenses are linked with a user’s email ID.

How to Check your Microsoft Office License 

You can follow the instructions below to check your current license type. This will help you to determine whether you can transfer the Microsoft Office license or not. 

1. Bring up the Start menu by pressing the Windows key. Here, type ‘cmd’. 
2. Next, run this as an Administrator. Subsequently, type and run the following commands one by one. 

• cd \program files\microsoft office\office12 
• cscript ospp.vbs /dstatus

1. The last two digits in ‘office12’ will be replaced by the version you have. You can easily check it by navigating the directory. Therefore, it will be ‘office14’ if you have the 2014 version. 
2. After execution, you can see your license type beside ‘License name’. 
3. Therefore, you can transfer Microsoft Office license if it says retail or FPP.

Additionally, it is important to note that you can easily install the 2010 Office version on new computers. Here, you can enter the same product key to activate it. However, you need to transfer Microsoft Office license for 2013 and above. 

How to Transfer a Microsoft Office License

Make sure that you have your product key at hand. You can easily find it inside the cover of the installation disc. Furthermore, you can search it online if you have bought it online. 

Finally, follow these instructions to transfer Microsoft Office license. 

1. Go to the old computer and uninstall Microsoft Office from the system. You can do this by pressing the Windows logo button and typing ‘appwiz.cpl’. Here, find Microsoft Office in the installed program list. Select and uninstall it from your system.  
2. Next, go to the new computer and see if there are any trial versions of Microsoft Office. It is important to uninstall this version as it can interfere with product activation. 
3. Afterward, download or install the Office suite using the installation media. Follow the instructions as displayed.
4. Subsequently, open any Microsoft Office product and head over to File. Here, navigate to Account and click on Activate. 
5. Enter the product key and it will get activated. 

Generally, you do not have to worry about uninstalling MS Office from the old computer if it’s dead. One product key will work for only one system at a time. However, if the old computer is still in use, it will create activation problems. 

How to Transfer Office 2016 and Office 365 License 

For newer versions, it is very easy to transfer a Microsoft Office license. You can do so by following the instructions below. 

1. Open a browser and go to office.com/myaccount. Enter your login credentials and you’ll see an Install section below. Simply click on it. 
2. Here, click on ‘Deactivate’ and confirm your action when prompted. 
3. Next, uninstall the Office suite from the old computer. Subsequently, go to the browser on the new computer. Repeat step 1. 
4. Again, go to the Install section. Here, you have to click on ‘Install’. Run the setup file as an administrator and follow the instructions. 
5. Login to your account again. Now you can use the Office suite without having to enter a product key. 

Final Note

Finally, you should be able to transfer Microsoft Office license by following the above steps. Most new computers already come with a pre-installed Office suite. Therefore, you may not need to transfer your license.