Can't Use Outlook without keying in MS Account Info, but it doesn't work because it says I cannot use a personal account

Question

I am the IT Manager for my company. I have to install many computers throughout the year. Here are the steps that I take...

• I purchase Office from a legitimate company. The license key is emailed to me.

   o I try to log in with the user's work email address that they have a Microsoft account with.

   o Microsoft gives me an error saying you cannot use a business account to download the                     software

   o So the user creates a "personal" Microsoft account. I can then download the software

• I install the software

• To activate the software, it requires me to login with the above personal account

   o I setup their email in Outlook and it starts downloading their email from the server

• Then a popup displays and says I have to login to Microsoft account

   o I use the above "personal" Microsoft account again

   o Now I get an error message saying that I cannot use a "personal" account.

   o I try to use their business account and it says the account is not valid.

   o I close out the pop up, but now at the bottom it says "password needed", and it has stopped             downloading email from the server

   o I have to click on "password needed" a couple of times and then it starts downloading again

The last section that talks about the popup happens every time the user starts Outlook.

How do I stop this from happening. I have multiple users that this is happening to.

Thank you for any help you can give.

Scott Christopher

IT Manager

Struthers-Dunn Inc.

Answer 1

Hi @Scott Christopher

Welcome to our forum!

Based on your description, it sounds like you're experiencing some issues with the installation and activation of Microsoft Office.

To deploy Office in bulk in your organization, refer to the methods provided in this article:

Deploy Office 2019 (for IT Pros).

In addition, here are a few suggestions that might help streamline the process:

1. Purchase Office 365 for Business: Instead of purchasing individual licenses, consider getting Office 365 for Business. This way, you can assign licenses directly to users’ work email addresses, avoiding the need for personal accounts.
2. Microsoft Volume Licensing: If you’re installing Office on many computers, Microsoft Volume Licensing might be a better option. This allows you to use a single license key for multiple installations and manage them centrally.
3. Microsoft 365 Admin Center: Use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to manage user accounts and licenses. This can help ensure that licenses are properly assigned and activated without needing personal accounts.

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Answer 2

Sorry. We just have MS Office 2021 Professional. (Not PLUS)