Office 365 Personal - Unsigned software

Question

I paid for office 365 but when I try to install it Windows Defender flags it as unsigned software and warns against installing it. I tried seeking help through the Microsoft Office Support chat and the associates ignored the concern and said "well its from Microsoft so just open it". I brought up that the file could be corrupt or replaced but they showed no concern. I asked one employee for 30min if they could give me a known good link to download from or a hash to verify the file. After 30min of telling me I didn't need one he finally admitted he had no clue what a hash was or why I needed one and the activation scripts were in the download. I'm VERY surprised that Microsoft wouldn't digitally sign their software when freeware like AVG and Open Office do. The fact that all 3 associates I spoke to terminated the call when I requested to speak with a manager is only that much more frustrating. If someone could PLEASE help to get to a known good link to download the software I have already paid for (and the Windows OS is telling me not to install) or show me where the hash lists are posted so I can validate the unsigned software, it would be greatly appreciated.

My native OS is Win11 Pro and I purchased Office 365 Personal

The file that gets downloaded is 'O365HomePremRetail.img'

Doing a direct install doesn't pull a file but states that the software is unsigned and to only install it if I trust the source. As Microsoft puts so much security into making sure their intellectual property isn't used by and for EXACTLY who they authorize I find it very alarming that their own OS is denouncing the software. OS is patched to current level.

Answer 1

Hi, I'm Diane and I'm happy to help you today.

Did you download the file from https://account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365/details#billing ? That's where you should get it from.

As far as I know, Microsoft has not published the hash for the office software.

I checked downloaded a couple of office img files direct from Microsoft - none are signed. Now I need to find one I downloaded previous to see if they were signed.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to help you further if needed.

-- Diane

Answer 2

exe's are signed - the officesetup file is the streaming install - you need ot be online to install it.

The .img files are not signed and are the full install file so you can install while offline.

Answer 3

The Microsoft Office 365 Personal was $69.99 and the purchase was at a Microsoft URL, but when I clicked to get the download I had about 8 redirects that flashed by before I got to the download page. While several redirects isn't uncommon, the fact that Windows Defender didn't want me to install a Microsoft product was my red flag.

edit: Sentence structure

Answer 4

So that IS the location I downloaded the file from last night, but now I'm getting different results. When I tried the 64-bit option today it let me download a 'OfficeSetup.exe' file. Today's download IS digitally signed and has a different hash then the same named file that I downloaded last night. I'm not sure if the file was corrupted or I was possibly session jacked when pulling the file last night but the issue seems resolved. Thank you for sharing a link so I know I was in the right place. Have a great weekend and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to assist.

Answer 5

Where did you purchase O365 Personal from and how much did you pay?