how do I transfer my office license to a new PC?

Eric Mrozinski 40 Reputation points
2025-11-30T18:37:47.4666667+00:00

My Dell PC has failed again, and I now decided to buy a PC from another brand. How do I transfer my Office Home and Business 2021 license from the Dell to my new PC?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For home | Windows
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  1. Stefan Blom 324.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-11-30T19:01:40.58+00:00

    Uninstall Office from your old PC. On the new PC, install Office using your account at https://account.microsoft.com/services .

    If you run into activation issues, you may have to contact Microsoft support.

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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-30T18:37:56.1266667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To transfer your Office Home and Business 2021 license to a new PC, you generally need to follow these steps:

    1. Deactivate the License on the Old PC: If your old Dell PC is still operational, open any Office application (like Word or Excel), go to File > Account, and look for an option to deactivate or sign out of your Microsoft account. This step is important to free up the license for use on the new PC.
    2. Install Office on the New PC: On your new PC, go to the Microsoft Office website and sign in with the Microsoft account that you used to purchase Office Home and Business 2021. From there, you can download and install Office.
    3. Activate Office: Once installed, open any Office application on your new PC. You will be prompted to activate your product. Sign in with the same Microsoft account used for the original purchase to activate your Office license on the new PC.

    If you encounter any issues during this process, you may need to contact Microsoft support for assistance with license transfer.

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  1. Eric Mrozinski 40 Reputation points
    2025-11-30T20:07:52.61+00:00

    I eventually contacted Microsoft. What I had to do was to stay signed in with my microsoft credentials, on e.g. Word, on the old PC. Then start e.g. Word (actually any office app) on my new PC (office already preinstalled), and then sign in there as well, with my MS credentials. Word automatically presented me a window showing the licensed Office Home and Business 2021 which I have on my old PC. I just had to select that, and Office is now available also on my new PC. Interestingly, at the moment, I can use Office on both my PCs (old and new), but I guess this is only temporary. Will uninstall Office from my old PC anyway now.


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