Product code reset/ remove previous users

Question

How do I reset an product code for office 2013 projects, our company bought a disk but it has been activated too many times, many of the users have left the company and now

I cannot install due to the code being used too many times?

Answer 1

The disk itself is generic. Do you have the original sticker with the product key on it? Typically they are yellow background, black text, the key is written in 5 groups of 5 char. As well as the key there should be a 3 letter code. The one you are looking for is FPP, code for "Retail" license.

If you have a Retail license there is no limit to the number of times you can activate it. There is a limit on the number of machines it can be active on at the same time. For Office 2013 that is 1 computer, period. There is no way to "deactivate" it, but to comply with the license terms, and to avoid problems with the activation system, you have to make sure that it has been unisnalled from all other computers.

When you activate, select phone activation (since internet activation has already failed). When you phone in, you can try to activate, but it will probably fail. In that case, phone back, but do not reply to any of the prompts. Wait until you are given the option of talking to a service rep. Explain that you have uninstalled all other copies and are transferring it to a new machine. They should allow the activation to compolete.

This "too many activations" message is a MS "marketing ploy" (OK scam) to "encourage" you to buy a new license.

When you try to do phone activation, you may run into another problem. A message saying phone activation is no longer supported. Yup, another "misdirection"

2017 01 20- “TELEPHONE ACTIVATION IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED FOR YOUR PRODUCT” ERROR WHEN ACTIVATING OFFICE

The problem started in the fall of 2016. In Jan 2017 a MS staffer provided the following excuse. But the problem still exists! MS oops’d, and just hasn’t bothered to fix the problem for much too long. Go to green link below to get the correct phone number for your specific geographic location

<snip https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/fo... >

Michelle V [MSFT]

We apologize for this inconvenience. We are currently fixing this bug in our Office products. In the meantime, you can call the numbers for your specific country/region listed in this article

(https://support.office.com/en-us/article/-Telep... ).

Please also note that this issue impacts Office non-subscribers only—those who purchased the product as a one-time purchase. For more information, see What’s the difference between Office 365 and Office 2016?

If this doesn’t solve the issue, please contact our support agents linked from the bottom of the same article.

Again, we apologize for this issue. We are working to get this resolved quickly and will update this thread once the fix is available.

Thanks,

Michelle V.

Office Team

</snip>

Answer 2

What is your license type? Are you using volume licensing?

To remove the limits, you can uninstall from old computer and install on new computer. If you still get too many installation error, you can do telephonic activation

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/-Telep...

You can also contact Support if you face activation issues

Use below options to reach out to Microsoft Support

1. Phone - You can talk to support by picking up appropriate country

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13948/...

2. Chat - You may try chatting with MS Support to resolve this issue

https://partner.support.services.microsoft.com/...