MS Office 2026

To reinstall a previously purchased Microsoft 365/Office after a computer reset, install it again from the Microsoft account that the license is linked to.

For a home/personal subscription or one-time purchase on Windows, use one of these methods:

1. Sign in and reinstall online
2. Go to the Microsoft account dashboard: https://account.microsoft.com
3. Select Sign in and sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used to set up or purchase Microsoft 365/Office.
4. Select the Subscriptions icon in the left pane.
5. On the Subscriptions page:
   • For an Office perpetual (one-time purchase) product: under Products you've purchased, confirm the same product name is shown and select the Install link.
   • For a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription: select the Install Microsoft 365 link in the upper-right corner.
6. In the Install Microsoft 365 dialog:
   • Choose the preferred language.
   • Choose the bit version (32-bit or 64-bit). If unsure, see Choose between the 64-bit or 32-bit version of Office from the dialog.
   • Select Install.
7. This downloads OfficeSetup.exe. Run it and complete the installation.
8. After installation, ensure the PC is connected to the internet and open an app such as Word or Excel. Accept the license terms and, if prompted, sign in with the same Microsoft account to activate.
9. Use the offline installer (if internet is slow or unstable)
10. Go to https://account.microsoft.com and sign in with the same Microsoft account used for the purchase.
11. Select the Subscriptions icon.
12. On the Subscriptions page:
    • For an Office perpetual product: under Products you've purchased, select Install.
    • For Microsoft 365 Personal: select Install Microsoft 365 in the upper-right.
13. In the Install Microsoft 365 dialog:
    • Choose a language.
    • From Choose a version, select Offline installer.
    • Select Install.
14. Download the .img disk image file.
15. Double-click the .img file to mount it as a virtual drive.
16. Open the Office folder on that drive and run Setup32.exe (32-bit) or Setup64.exe (64-bit).
17. When the installation completes and shows You're all set, select Close.
18. Connect to the internet and open an Office app (Word, Excel, etc.). Accept the license terms and sign in with the same Microsoft account if prompted to complete activation.

If the PC was reset using a push-button reset and some apps (like Outlook, Access, or Publisher) are missing or Office is asking to Try/Buy/Activate, reinstalling Office as above will reactivate it and restore any missing apps.

If the account used for purchase is forgotten, use the guidance in I forgot the account I use with Microsoft 365 from the linked pages to recover it, then perform the reinstall steps.

References:

• Outlook, Access, and Publisher are missing after a push-button reset
• Reinstall Office or Microsoft 365 in your Office Pre-installed PC (for personal)
• Why do I need an account to sign in to Microsoft 365 or Office?
• Office is taking long to install
• I have a subscription to Office 365 and want to install it on my new laptop - Microsoft Q&A
• move microsoft 360 to new computer - Microsoft Q&A
• Can't sign in to microsoft 365 desktop apps - Microsoft Q&A
• I just bought Office for Home and Business and now "No license found" - Microsoft Q&A