Does Microsoft 365 Business Basic Support Shared Computer Activation on a Server?

Question

Hello Microsoft Community,

I’m trying to set up Microsoft 365 Apps on a server for multiple users to access via Remote Desktop Services (RDS). I understand that Shared Computer Activation (SCA) is required for this scenario, as it’s a shared computer environment. However, I’m using a Microsoft 365 Business Basic license, and I’m encountering an error during activation:

"Account Problem: The products we found in your account cannot be used to activate Office in shared computer scenarios. Error code: 0x80004005 (Correlation ID: {405xxxx8-24C1-xxxx-8A77-xxxx21391A7A})"

I’ve read the documentation on SCA (Overview of shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps), which mentions that SCA is supported with licenses like Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise or Microsoft 365 Business Premium. However, it’s unclear whether Microsoft 365 Business Basic supports SCA.

My questions are:

1. Does the Microsoft 365 Business Basic license support Shared Computer Activation on a server for RDS scenarios?
2. If not, would upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium resolve this issue, or do I need a different license like Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise?

Answer 1

Dear Marcus Antoninus,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic license does not support Shared Computer Activation (SCA). This is why you are encountering the activation error.

There are 3 types of Microsoft 365 Business Plans: Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Basic. Among them, only Microsoft 365 Business Premium plansupport for shared computer activation. Other Business Plans, such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Basic don't include support for shared computer activation. Please see below location in the article you shared. Overview of shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps - Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn

To resolve this issue, you will need to upgrade to a license that supports SCA. The Microsoft 365 Business Premium license does support SCA and would be a suitable upgrade for your needs. Alternatively, you could consider Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise(E3 and E5), which also supports SCA.

For Microsoft 365 Business Premium Plan purchasing information and more differences between these plans, please refer to below links.
Compare All Microsoft 365 Plans | Microsoft
Compare Microsoft 365 Enterprise Plans | Microsoft 365

Upgrading to one of these plans will allow Office to activate properly in a shared environment.

Let us know if you need further clarification.

Best Regards,

Community Moderator | Sophia

Answer 2

Dear Marcus Antoninus,

Thank you for your kind response! I'm glad to hear that the information was helpful to you.

If you found my answer useful, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to vote for my response. Your feedback helps improve the community experience!

Thank you for your time, and feel free to reach out if you have any more questions.

Best Regards,
Community Moderator | Sophia

Answer 3

Thanks you, this helped.